Comparison of Malnutrition Indicators and Associated Socio-Demographic Factors among Children in Rural and Urban Public Primary Schools in South Africa.

Most children in South Africa attending public schools are predisposed to malnutrition due to poor infrastructure and social inequality. This is despite the implementation of the National School Nutrition Programme to address barriers to learning associated with hunger and malnutrition and the National Development Plan to reduce child malnutrition through provision of social grants. In view of this, we compared malnutrition indicators and associated socio-demographic factors among children in rural Mpumalanga and urban Gauteng in South African public primary schools selected using a multistage cluster random sampling.

A Longitudinal Investigation on the Effects of Sodium and Potassium Intake on the Development of Hypertension and Abdominal Obesity from Childhood to Young Adulthood amongst Ellisras Rural Population, South Africa.

Background: Hypertension (HT) and obesity have both been on the rise in children. Each is associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease risk, and both track into adulthood.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the association of sodium intake (Na), potassium (K) intake, and sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio with the development of HT and abdominal obesity amongst the Ellisras rural population over time.

Investigation of the Seasonal Variation in Fat Patterning of Ellisras Rural Children and Adolescents, in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

An increase in childhood obesity has become a global concern since childhood obesity often leads to adulthood obesity. This study aimed to investigate whether there is seasonal variation in fat patterning, and whether fat patterning is associated with seasons among the Ellisras population aged 5-15 years. A total of 1986 children and adolescents (1034 boys and 952 girls) aged 5-15 enrolled in this cross-sectional study.

Screening and Interventions for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in the Limpopo Province, South Africa: Use of the Community Action Model.

The rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been attributed to economic growth in developing countries, shifts in societal norms, and behaviors such as dietary habits and physical activity. Up to 80% of NCDs could be prevented by eliminating shared risk factors, mainly tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and the harmful use of alcohol. The South African government's national strategic plan to control NCDs, which includes cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, places a strong emphasis on the need to improve the prevention, detection, early intervention, and management of NCDs.