98 Results Found

The brick making industry, despite its contribution to environmental pollution, plays a major role in the economic growth of South Africa, with the traditional technology accounting for a significant proportion of the total clay brick production. The...

Pharmaceutical pollution of surface waters has emerged as a significant environmental health concern worldwide. In this study, we investigated the presence and concentration of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments within Vhembe District Municipali...

The Vhembe district of South Africa is dominantly rural, with agricultural practice being the main major livelihood activity. Furthermore, many of the rural subsistence farmers rely on rain-fed agriculture, making them highly vulnerable to climate ch...

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in low-capacity urban contexts is frequently constrained by fragmented governance, limited institutional readiness, and premature implementation of digital technologies. This study investigates how internal ope...

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are identified as contributors to faecal pollution and the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in water ecosystems. This research examined the prevalence, profiles of antimicrobial resistance, and pathogenic t...

Rural livelihood diversification has become a central policy in rural development and poverty alleviation. Farmworkers in irrigation schemes are a typical poor sub-group that has received little attention in research regarding their livelihood status...

Background: The adolescent- and youth-friendly services (AYFS) programme has the potential to address several diverse problems within adolescents’ healthcare systems by improving the quality, accessibility, efficiency, and effectiveness of heal...

Background: Unlike other chronic diseases, cancer patients undergo different types of treatments that affect their well-being, and as a result, they tend to have different experiences from those of other chronic disease sufferers. The purpose of this...

It is critical to attribute faecal contamination to its original source in order to assess public health risks and implement effective interventions to mitigate future contamination. This study aimed to identify the primary sources of faecal contamin...

Background: Water quality testing is dictated by microbial agents found at the time of sampling in reference to their acceptable risk levels. Human activities might contaminate valuable water resources and add to the microbial load present in water b...

The current study investigated hydroclimatic extremes in Vhembe, Lejweleputswa, and uMgungundlovu District Municipalities based on streamflow data from 21 river gauge stations distributed across the study site for the period spanning 1985–2023....

Waste generated form healthcare facilities is a potential source of health risks to the public, if it is not properly handled from the point of generation to disposal. This study was conducted to assess the efficiency of healthcare risk waste (HCRW)...

The maternal death rate remains high in South Africa despite the availability of many existing strategies to improve the quality of service. A 30% increase in the maternal mortality rate was reported between 2020 and 2021, with Limpopo ranking fourth...

Background: Worldwide, type 1 diabetes mellitus disease is a devastating health condition for both the diagnosed children and caregivers taking care of them. These challenges were drastically affecting caregivers in rendering the required homecare se...

The mental well-being of many community members was seriously impacted by COVID-19, with some experiencing the loss of loved ones and others losing jobs due to lockdown-related company cutbacks. There is evidence indicating that many people faced cha...

In South Africa, the prevalence and death rates as a result of cervical cancer remains high, creating social and economic instability. The main objective of this study was to determine factors affecting participation in cervical screening by female n...

Edible insects are an important natural commodity in rural areas that is used for household consumption and to generate income through trade. As a result, edible-insect trading is a profitable business that provides employment and improves the liveli...

Both behavioral intentions and structural constraints shape household waste disposal in low-resource settings. This study integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with Environmental Justice (EJ) to examine informal waste disposal in Vhembe Dis...

A plant health clinic is a system in which under-resourced and smallholder farmers can access basic services of plant healthcare from a plant clinic in relation to infected or symptomatic plants and plant products for pest diagnostic and identificati...

The problem of limited water supply in the Vhembe District (Limpopo Province, South Africa) is exacerbated by a preponderance of dissolved salts, which cause disagreeable taste and odour in the water as reported by the communities using this water fo...

Water scarcity is a global challenge faced by millions of people, and it has a negative impact on the ecosystem, public health, and financial stability. Water demand and supply management becomes critical, especially in areas with limited access to c...

Diarrhoeal disease is considered an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing areas, and a large contributor to the burden of disease in children younger than five years of age. This study investigated the prevalence and genogroups of...

This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of learners on issues related to water, sanitation and hygiene in selected schools in Vhembe District, South Africa. The methodology relied on a questionnaire, an inspection of sanitary...

This study investigates how monitoring and support practices are enacted and strengthened to improve matric (National Senior Certificate) performance in the Vhembe East District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Persistent underperformance in rural sc...

This study examines the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within the Grade 11 Life Sciences curriculum in the Vhembe East District. Despite a growing emphasis on ESD, teachers encounter significant barriers that impede effect...

From a public health standpoint, a stringent visitation policy was necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it had unforeseen communicative and emotional health consequences for family members. This study explored family members’ experiences...

The lack of improved sanitation in rural areas of developing countries, including South Africa, exacerbates open defecation, leading to the significant contamination of water sources by human and animal waste. This study aimed to establish the associ...

The implementation of water and sanitation safety plans (WSSP) has the potential of greatly improving the challenge of resource-limited drinking-water supplies. However, the most effective tool to make WSSP successful is understanding of the factors...

Objective: The present study assessed the iron and Vitamin A status of children aged 0 to 36 months in Thulamela municipality, Vhembe District. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 children aged 0 to 36 months attending well-baby...

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) remains a critical environmental governance challenge in rural and peri-urban regions of the Global South, where service delivery gaps exacerbate illegal dumping and public health risks. Geographic Information...

Introduction: A pregnant woman’s life and that of her child largely depend on the care they receive during the critical stage of pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period. Some women question their decisions regarding future pregnancies as w...

People living in rural areas still rely on the use of environmental water that is contaminated by human and animal activities. This study assessed the occurrence of human enteric pathogens in rivers that are used by rural communities Vhembe District...

Background: Participation in sports offers children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) crucial opportunities for development. However, they often face barriers to inclusion in school-based sports, especially in under-resourced areas. This study aim...

The disclosure of HIV status among adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV (APHIV) has become one of the core challenges in the management of APHIV. Disclosure is a challenge that undermines positive advances and achievements in HIV manageme...

Agriculture is arguably one of the most important economic sectors for South Africa’s development as it is directly linked to food security. Farming systems in South Africa have been characterized by a duality where large-scale commercial farme...

Climate variability threatens smallholder maize production in semi-arid Southern Africa, necessitating accurate irrigation management. We developed an Earth Observation–machine learning framework integrating Sentinel-1 SAR, TU Wien retrievals,...

A safe water supply is a necessity, but it remains one of the backlogs of services rendered in rural areas of developing countries. This leads to vulnerable communities using water from available sources that is unsafe as it is contaminated with faec...

Honeybees provide a variety of services and products that are beneficial to humans, including pollination, honey, propolis, and other harvested products. In South Africa, it is believed that honey harvesting from wild (unmanaged) honeybee (Apis melli...

The current changing climate requires the development of water–energy–food (WEF) nexus-oriented systems capable of mainstreaming climate-smart innovations into resource management. This study demonstrates the cross-sectoral impacts of cli...

Due to the current and predicted increase in the global demand for water–energy–food (WEF) resources, as well as the inevitable linkages between the WEF sectors and sustainable development, the WEF nexus is rapidly being recognized as a m...

Rooftop solar photovoltaics have the potential to successfully electrify rural and scattered communities worldwide. However, access to clean, high-quality, reliable and affordable energy remains elusive for several households in rural areas of the de...

Background: Recreational sports for fitness have grown in popularity in South Africa [...]

Despite notable progress in reducing childhood morbidity and mortality, achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 remains a challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where many children under five die before accessing formal healthcare services. This study exp...

Background: Young mothers in rural South Africa often experience multiple psychological and social challenges that may affect both maternal well-being and child development. Poverty, stigma, limited educational opportunities, and inadequate social su...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are very toxic and persistent environmental contaminants. This study was undertaken to assess the concentrations and possible sources of 16 PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) classified by the United State Enviro...

The deterioration of water quality in our freshwater sources is on the increase worldwide and, in South Africa, mostly due to the discharge of municipal sewage effluent. Here we report on the use of principal component analysis, coupled with factor a...

The primary sources of widespread pollution in most river catchments are improperly treated final effluents from various wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), affecting the physicochemical characteristics of the receiving water bodies. Wastewater disc...

Good hygienic practices are required to reduce the risk of microbial contamination during meat processing. We evaluated good hygiene and meat safety practices among different village butcheries (6), commercial butcheries (8), and supermarkets (18) th...

Research has shown that barriers and facilitators in psychotherapy exhibit similarities. The authors of this study are of the view that to effectively address the difficulties encountered in psychotherapy for children and adolescents, it is crucial t...

This study assessed the performance of a rural water supply system. Performance assessment of water supply systems is important to ensure the long-term sustainability of water services. The study addressed a critical gap in assessing performance whil...