Primary health care­family partnership for better diabetes outcomes of patients: a systematic review

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong disease requiring daily self-care activities for better outcomes. Although most of these self-care activities for outpatients are taught in primary health care, their actual practice occurs at home where patients stay. Family dynamics or established cultures impact the management of the disease, hence a need for primary health care­family partnership to empower both families and patients with ways to manage the disease. This systematic review aims to describe the primary health care­family partnership. Methods: The literature was sourced using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. The Scopus/ Elsevier, ScienceDirect and PubMed databases were used to source literature written in English and published between January 1, 2010 and July 31, 2022. Studies were included if focused on self-care activities, management and family-centred care (FCC); participants were diabetes patients and non-diabetic family members; and primary health care diabetes intervention. Results: A total of 62 publications that met inclusion criteria were used in this review. The included studies include quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method studies, including reports. The process of including these publications involved identification, screening and re-screening in line with set eligibility. The key search strategies resulted in the following sub-headings: diabetes self-care, diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES), family-centred care, and primary health care. Conclusion: Evidence from existing literature shows that primary health care is the source of information, yet actual diabetes management occurs at home. This review recommends the adoption of DSMES and FCC modalities to set the foundation for workable primary health care­family partnerships. The adoption of these joint modalities for partnerships will outline the dos and don'ts in managing diabetes at home. The literature further indicates that family support is critical, therefore primary health care­families partnership may lead to improved adherence to self-care activities and better outcomes

Mental health and HIV sexual risk behaviour among University of Limpopo students

Background. Little attention has been paid to the role of poor mental health among young people with regard to HIV risk behaviour and HIV prevention in Africa. Objective. To determine the association between mental health; substance use and HIV sexual risk behaviour among a sample of university students in South Africa. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate students who were recruited conveniently from public campus venues at the University of Limpopo Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa) campus. The sample included 722 university students (57.6 men and 42.4women) with a mean age of 21.7 years (standard deviation _}8.8). Results. Of the 722 students; 39.5 reported depression; 23.4 screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 22 reported hazardous or harmful alcohol use; 33 reported .2 sexual partners in the past 12 months; 50 reported inconsistent condom use; 46 reported unknown HIV status of a sexual partner and 20 reported alcohol use in the context of sex in the past 3 months. In multivariate analysis; HIV risk behaviour was associated with; among men; hazardous or harmful alcohol use and having screened positive for PTSD; and among women; being in the 4th or more year of study and current cannabis use. Conclusion. Poor mental health; including substance use; was found to be associated with HIV risk behaviour. Co-ordinated mental health and sexual and reproductive health services that meet the needs of university students would be desirable