Browsing by Subject "information"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Open Access
    Knowledge is power: Empowering households with Energy information
    (1996) Qase, Nomawethu; Blom, Samkelo; Mehlwana, Anthony
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    Open Access
    The profile of people reporting with low back pain to a resource poor clinic in Cape Town
    (2010) Jelsma, Jennifer; Parker, Romy; Yates, Deborah Lilian
    In order to provide targeted information regarding understanding and management of low back pain (LBP), it is necessary to understand the life situation of patients. The objective of this study was to develop a profile of patients with LBP seeking care in an under-resourced area of Cape Town.The subjects were all patients attending a community health centre with a primary diagnosis of LBP. A self-designed questionnaire was used to gather relevant information such as BMI, smoking, physical activities at home and work and potentially stressful life events. Questions about perceptions of LBP, the role of health personnel, income and employment were included. Subjects could also identify which information they would like to be given by their health care providers. Fifty subjects were interviewed, 74% were female. The mean ages were 50.7 years (SD 14.0) and 54.1 years (SD 15.1) for males and females respectively. There was a high prevalence of smoking and obesity, low levels of education, and many reported high stress levels. There were a high percentage of manual workers and the nature of their activities could put them at risk for development and exacerbation of LBP. Few people knew what to expect with regard to the likely outcome of their pain and the majority identified the need for communication about the duration, prognosis, implications and management of LBP. Conclusion: A profile developed of the typical LBP patient in this community provided valuable information, which can be utilized to develop appropriate intervention strategies.
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    Open Access
    Towards appropriate, accessible information networks in developing communities : an assessment of selected information literacy projects and programmes in South Africa and Namibia
    (1999) Jacobs, Veronica; Underwood, P
    The central theme of this study revolves around information delivery in a developing community. The notion of appropriate, accessible information networks is scrutinised. The Okavango region in Namibia is used as a case study of a developing, rural community. The region is underdeveloped in important spheres such as health, agriculture and education. Library and related information services are either underdeveloped or undeveloped. The region has a favourable rainfall pattern and a viable agricultural resource base. This is important for Namibia, because the country has large areas of semi-desert and desert. Although the Okavango region is vast ( some 4.6 million hectares), the majority of the population (137,000 at the 1991 census), are settled in a narrow 5-10 kilometre strip along the south bank of the Okavango river. This in itself offers challenging opportunities to improve connectivity and access to appropriate information for community development. The current situation with regard to information delivery and information literacy levels in Namibia is sketched and a detailed description of two projects striving towards appropriate, accessible information delivery given. Both projects are based in a tertiary environment, one at the University of Namibia and the other at five Western Cape tertiary institutions in South Africa. Although, essentially these projects aim at improving information delivery at a tertiary level, community outreach components are woven into the long term vision of both projects. The information literacy components of the projects described are of special significance. The concept of information literacy and the potential of information literacy projects and programmes to facilitate the delivery of appropriate, accessible information to developing communities are probed