Browsing by Author "Corrigall, Joanne"

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    Immunisation coverage of the Western Cape Province : household survey 2005
    (2009) Corrigall, Joanne; Coetzee, David
    [Objective] To determine the routine immunisation coverage rates in children aged 12-23 months in the Western Cape and factors affecting immunisation coverage. [Design] Cross-sectional Household Survey using an adaptation of the '30x7' cluster survey technique (multi-stage sampling). [Setting] Households across the Western Cape. [Subjects] 3705 caregivers of children aged 12-23 months who had been living in the Western Cape for at least 6 months. [Outcome Measures] Vaccination Status (1=fully vaccinated, 0=partially vaccinated) as recorded on a Road to Health card or given by history. Factors affecting caregivers' vaccination behaviour established from a questionnaire. [Results] The immunisation coverage was 76.8% for vaccines due by 9 months and 53.2% for vaccines due by 18 months. The reasons given for not being imunised were clinic-related factors (47%), lack of information (27%), lack of information (27%), caregiver being unable to attend the clinic (23%) and lack of motivation (14%). Of clinic factors cited, the two commonest factors were missed opportunities (34%) and being told by clinic staff to come back another time (20%). Factors enhancing coverage included possession of a Road-to-Health card, caregiver knowledge about vaccines and perceived attitude of clinic staff. Certain racial inequities in coverage were also apparent, particularly in the Boland-Overberg Region. [Conclusion] While the coverage indicated that a lot of good work has been done, the coverage was insufficient to prevent outbreaks of measles and other common childhood conditions including polio. The coverage was too low to consider not running periodic mass campaigns for measles and polio. The reasons given by caregivers for their children not being immunized and factors associated with increased coverage are valuable pointers as to where interventions should be focused.
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    Is the Western Cape at risk of an outbreak of preventable childhood diseases? Lessons from an evaluation of routine immunisation coverage
    (2008) Corrigall, Joanne; Coetzee, David; Cameron, Neil
    OBJECTIVE: To determine the routine immunisation coverage rates in children aged 12 - 23 months in the Western Cape. DESIGN: Cross-sectional Household Survey using an adaptation of the '30 by 7' cluster survey technique. SETTING: Households across the Western Cape. SUBJECTS: A total of 3 705 caregivers of children aged 12 - 23 months who had been living in the Western Cape for at least 6 months. OUTCOME MEASURES: Vaccination status (1 = fully vaccinated; 0 = partially vaccinated) as recorded on a Road-to-Health card or by history. Reasons for not vaccinating were established from a questionnaire. RESULTS: The immunisation coverage was 76.8% for vaccines due by 9 months and 53.2% for those due by 18 months. The reasons given for not being immunised were clinic-related factors (47%), lack of information (27%), caregiver being unable to attend the clinic (23%), and lack of motivation (14%). Of the clinic factors cited, the two commonest ones were missed opportunities (34%) and being told by clinic staff to return another time (20%). CONCLUSION: While the coverage indicates that a great deal of good work is being done, the coverage is insufficient to prevent outbreaks of measles and other common childhood conditions, including polio. The coverage is too low to consider not running periodic mass campaigns for measles and polio. It will need to be sustainably improved before introducing rubella vaccine as part of the Expanded Programme on Immunisations (EPI) schedule. The reasons given by caregivers for their children not being immunised are valuable pointers as to where interventions should be focused.
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    Violence, alcohol and symptoms of depression and in Cape Town's poorest communities: results of a community survey
    (2018-04-20) Cassidy, Tali; Lloyd, Sam; Bowman, Brett; Myers, J E; Parry, Charles; Makanga, Tatenda; Corrigall, Joanne; Thompson, Mary Lou; Matzopoulos, Richard
    Introduction This paper summarises key findings from the first of three household surveys conducted in three high-violence areas in the Cape Town, investigating community members’ experiences of alcohol use, their built environment, violence and symptoms of depression, together with their views on alcohol and other interventions. Methods A stratified random sample of 1500 dwellings, 1200 in Khayelitsha and 300 in Gugulethu and Nyanga (“Gunya”) was selected using GIS address data for formal areas and aerial photography for informal areas. Fieldwork took place from July to November 2013. Responses to questions were summarized by area, gender, age and formal vs. informal settlement type. Results After substitution and data cleaning, 1213 Khayelitsha households and 286 Gunya households were included. In Gunya, 29% of respondents reported that they or their family members had been affected by at least one violent crime (murder, assault, domestic violence, rape) in the past year, compared with 12% in Khayelitsha. Using a CES-D-10 cut-off of 10, 44% of respondents were classified as depressed. More than half the respondents reported having experienced some form of alcohol nuisance. Respondents were supportive of alcohol interventions such as increased taxes and police regulation of outlets, particularly in Gunya (87%) and amongst female respondents (76%). Satisfaction with infrastructure such as street lighting and drainage was generally low. Conclusions The results describe the co-occurring burdens of alcohol and drug use, violence, depression and deprivation in our study populations.