Browsing by Author "Khalil, Doris"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Exploring the challenges of facilitating participatory action research with people living with HIV
    (2005) Butchart, Wendy Ann; Khalil, Doris; Mayers, Pat
    This study describes a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project that was conducted in Masiphumelele (an informal settlement near Cape Town) in 2003/2004 with a group of 5 black, HIV positive people. The original aim of the study was to facilitate an empowerment process aimed at helping the participants find some solutions to their problems. PAR is, however, an unpredictable process that is shaped by the participants and thus often reaches entirely different outcomes from the original goals of the process. This study encountered a number of challenges which necessitated a change in the aims and of the study. The most serious challenge was the withdrawal of the participants halfway through the study due to financial reasons. Because of this, it was not possible to reach the original goal of seeking solutions to the participants problems. The research aims were therefore adjusted to the following: • To create an opportunity for a group of people living with HIV/AIDS to engage in a participatory process aimed at self-awareness and empowerment. • To record and analyse this process with the intention of producing insight into the use of PAR in the context of poverty and HIV/AIDS and to identify the challenges involved. At the stage the participants withdrew, the researcher had conducted 5 focus group discussions, which had been recorded and transcribed. In the focus groups, the participants had described their circumstances and their needs and had started to discuss what problems they would like to address. The researcher achieved closure by negotiating with the participants that she would analyse the data and return to give feedback. Two further focus groups were conducted some time later, at which this feedback was given and the participants were asked to comment on their experience of the process. The participants were also consulted on the utilisation of the findings and they decided that they would like to participate in distributing the findings to their community. A number of recommendations for future PAR studies are drawn from this research.
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    A randomised controlled trial studying the effects of the copper intrauterine device and the injectable progestogen contraceptive on depression and sexual functioning of women in the Eastern Cape
    (2014) Singata-Madliki, Mandisa; Khalil, Doris; Hofmeyr, G J
    A lack of contraception use and contraceptive method discontinuation are common causes of unintended pregnancy in the Eastern Cape. The most common reason for method discontinuation among childbearing women is the unacceptable side effects of their contraceptive choices. Both depression and sexual dysfunction are given as side effects of contraceptive use; however, there is little evidence to support these effects. This randomised, single-blind controlled trial conducted in East London, South Africa, Investigated the effects of the initiation of a long-acting injectable contraceptive, Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMP A), compared with the initiation of a copper Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (Cu-IUD) after childbirth on depression and sexual functioning. After counselling, 242consenting pregnant women were randomised to receive DMP A or a Cu IUD within 48 hours of childbirth, in a ratio of 1:1. Primary outcome measures were depression and sexual dysfunction evaluated by validated instruments. Questionnaires were administered at baseline, and telephonically at one month and three months after randomisation. The telephonic interviewer was blinded to the participants' group allocation. English and Xhosa versions of the Beck Depression Inventory and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were used to assess depression. The Arizona Sexual Functioning Scale was used to assess sexual functioning. For these primary outcomes, median scores between the intervention groups were compared, as well as the number of events (dichotomous data) in each intervention group. There relative effects of these interventions were summarised by calculating risk ratios, with 95% confidence intervals. Statistical tests used included the Shapiro-Wilk test, T-test, and Wilcoxon test. There were not consistently statistically significant differences in the risk of depression or sexual dysfunction between the intervention groups in this study. However, there was a trend towards more depression in the DMPA group which was statistically significant for mean EPDS score at the one month and for the BDI score three month assessments compared with the IUD group. There was also a trend to more sexual dysfunction with DMPA, but the only statistically significant difference was that fewer women in the DMPA group resumed sexual intercourse within the first month of treatment than in the IUD group. The author's recommendations from the study are that, firstly, family planning providers should inform women during contraceptive counselling that there is no certainty that DMPA causes depression and/or sexual dysfunction; however, it may do so in the postpartum period. Secondly, contraceptive users can continue to use DMPA with confidence as a convenient and effective method of preventing unintended pregnancy. Thirdly, the trend towards postpartum depression and sexual dysfunction in the DMPA group of this study justifies further research with a larger sample size, to include women from various social settings, and for a longer period of follow-up. Lastly, the Cu-IUD is a good alternative to DMPA in women who experience intolerable effects with the latter.
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    A respiratory health survey within a brewery in South Africa
    (2011) Irwin, Gail Rosamund; Khalil, Doris
    A brewery worker developed work-related asthma associated with exposure to malt and other grain dust allergens in a brewery over a period. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of work-related respiratory symptoms and associated risk factors, within this brewery in South Africa.
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    The role of the disability grant in the lives of visually disabled adults on the Cape Flats
    (2009) Ongolo, Thomas O; Khalil, Doris
    Wide spectrums of studies have been conducted around social assistance, producing a range of evidence that shows how it impacts on beneficiaries. The question remains as to the effectiveness of cash transfers like the disability grant in minimising poverty for disabled adults and their families. There is a great interest in understanding what determines the different ways of grant usage amongst beneficiaries and how it contributes to claiming their social rights. This study explores the role of the disability grant; poverty and disability-related costs; disability grant expenditure as well as household decision-making on expenses. Methodology: The study uses a qualitative descriptive research design, which explores and documents the lived experiences of visually disabled adults on the Cape Flats who are the recipients of disability grants. Methods of data gathering were individual interviews and focus group sessions. Data analysis looked at themes, concepts and ideas linked to research questions, but allowing the analysis to generate emerging codes as well. Findings: The study was able to determine the role of the disability grant in the lives of visually disabled beneficiaries on the Cape Flats. The research found that most participants were knowledgeable and aware of what the grant is to be used for and whom it targets.
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    Violence among nurse learners : a descriptive study examining nurse learners' experiences of violence
    (2008) De Villiers, Tania; Khalil, Doris; Mayers, Pat
    Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-123).