Global Comparisons of Age, Gender and Socioeconomic Status Differences of Physical Fitness Health Risk in South African Primary School Children: Longitudinal Data from the NW-CHILD Study.

Global physical fitness (PF) levels have declined over the past 50 years, contributing to early health risks in children although it is still unclear how age, gender and socioeconomic status (SES) impact PF risk. This study aimed to identify unique health risks related to age, SES and gender that might influence muscular fitness (MF) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels of primary school children in South Africa. Children ( = 349, boys = 165; girls = 184) of low ( = 201) and high SES ( = 148) underwent three time point measurements at 6, 9 and 12 years spanning seven primary school years.

A qualitative exploration of nursing master's research supervision in a private higher education institution.

Background: Completing a Master's thesis is crucial for earning a master's degree and showcasing students' academic and professional skills. However, the process is often challenging owing to its solitary nature and the complexity of its supervisory relationships.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the experience of Nursing Master's Research Supervision and its impact on their thesis journey.

Results From South Africa's 2022 Healthy Active Kids' Report Card on Physical Activity, Body Composition Proxies, and Nutritional Status in Children and Adolescents.

Background: Physical activity (PA) and nutrition in children have an impact on overall physical and mental well-being, cognitive, and social development. This study aims to report on the best current available evidence on PA, body composition proxies, and nutritional status of South African children and adolescents, based on the published findings between 2018 and 2022, which comprise the 2022 Healthy Active Kids South Africa Report Card.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search of online databases, along with hand searching and a gray literature search, was conducted based on PA, body composition proxies, and nutrition indicators defined, in part, by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance.

Exploratory Study into the Classification Agreement between Self-Reported Age of Menarche and Calculated Maturity Offset in Adolescent Girls: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study.

Menarche is a significant pubertal event influencing girls' participation in physical activity. As menarche is a sensitive matter, a non-invasive substitute is needed to help classify girls' maturity status and provide physical literacy to them in this regard. The objective of this exploratory study was to investigate the classification agreement between self-reported age of menarche and calculated maturity offset in adolescent girls from South Africa by making use of various statistical methods.

Lived experiences of village-based patients with chronic kidney disease receiving haemodialysis at Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan: a transcendental phenomenology study protocol.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the major health issues in Pakistan, exerting notable effects on both the physical and mental well-being of individuals undergoing haemodialysis. Of particular concern to healthcare professionals is the potential adverse influence of haemodialysis on the lives of patients with CKD residing in rural areas of the country. This study will explore and describe the lived experiences and needs of patients with CKD receiving haemodialysis from the perspectives of patients and their family caregivers.

Effectiveness of a resilience-focused educational program for promoting resilience in nursing students: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a resilience-focused educational program to promote resilience among the forming year's BSN students.

Background: Resilience is a resource for the well-being and growth of nursing students. Lack of resilience is a high-risk condition for psychosocial health problems that hinder students' academic and professional growth during the BSN program.

Relationships between moderate vigorous physical activity, motor- and health-related fitness and motor skills in children.

Background:  Childhood is an important transitional period for the development of healthy physical activity (PA) behaviours, so it is important to understand its impact on a healthy lifestyle.

Aim:  This study aimed to determine the influences of sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and body composition (BC) on the relationships between PA, motor skills, motor- and health-related physical fitness in 5-8-year-olds.

Setting:  Participants were a subsample consisting of 299 children (150 boys, 149 girls, mean age 6.

Sustainable effects of a motor skill programme on physical activity levels in 7-8 years old children, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Background: Deteriorating global physical activity (PA) levels among children warrants new and sustainable approaches to increase PA levels. This study aimed to determine the immediate and sustainable influences of a 9-week movement program on the PA levels in 7 to 8-year-old school children in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Methods: A randomized control trial including two groups (control group (CG) and intervention group (IG)), pre-post-retest (after six months of no intervention) design was used.

Longitudinal pathways of associations between motor proficiency and physical fitness during earlier and later childhood: The NW-CHILD study.

Understanding the relationships between motor proficiency (MP) and physical fitness (PF) is important for the future health of children, although longitudinal findings of this nature are limited. This study explored the association between MP and PF during earlier childhood (6 and 9 years old) and later childhood (12 years old) in boys and girls. A stratified and randomized research design including a baseline and two follow-up time-point measures (2010, 2013, and 2016) were used.

Effectiveness of Community-based Obesity Intervention for Body Weight, Body Mass Index, and Waist Circumference: Meta-analysis.

Background: Obesity is a significant health problem worldwide and an alarming problem in the developed world including the United States of America and European populations. Subsequently, obesity can lead to different health problems, such as non-communicable diseases. However, it can be prevented through a healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle modification.

Colour opponency is widespread across the mouse subcortical visual system and differentially targets GABAergic and non-GABAergic neurons.

Colour vision plays many important roles in animal behaviour but the brain pathways processing colour remain surprisingly poorly understood, including in the most commonly used laboratory mammal, mice. Indeed, particular features of mouse retinal organisation present challenges in defining the mechanisms underlying colour vision in mice and have led to suggestions that this may substantially rely on 'non-classical' rod-cone opponency. By contrast, studies using mice with altered cone spectral sensitivity, to facilitate application of photoreceptor-selective stimuli, have revealed widespread cone-opponency across the subcortical visual system.

Indigenous practitioners' views on causes of female infertility.

Background: The use of indigenous practices has increased remarkably throughout the world. Subsequently, society uses this practice for the treatment of various health problems, including infertility. This research focussed on the role of indigenous practitioners (IPs) using a holistic approach to explore the causes of infertility in women.

The Influence of a 9-Week Movement Program on the Body Composition of 7- to 8-Year-Old Schoolchildren in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Pediatric obesity has become a growing global epidemic which has negative health consequences, including for South African children. This study aimed to determine the immediate and sustainable influences of a 9-week movement program on the body composition of 7 to 8-year-old school children in a rural area of South Africa. A two group, pre-test, post-test and re-test after six months experimental design was used to compare anthropometric measurements of the intervention group (IG) and control group (CG).

Caregivers' perspectives on health-related quality of life in young children with TB and respiratory illnesses.

Background: There is a lack of holistic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures for young children with respiratory disease, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to understand caregivers' perceptions of the relevance of common HRQoL domains for children with respiratory diseases, including TB.

Methods: This study was nested in a prospective observational cohort of children presenting with respiratory symptoms presumptive of pulmonary TB.

Age and Sex Differences in the State and Relationships between Process and Product Assessments of Fundamental-Motor Skills in Five to Eight-Year-Olds: The ExAMIN Youth SA Study.

Adequate development of Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) at a young age benefit holistic development and positive health outcomes. This study determined age and sex developmental differences in the state and the relationships between process and product assessments of four fundamental-motor skills (FMS) in five to eight-year-olds. An availability sample of 636 children; 291 boys, 345 girls, mean age of 6.

Knowledge attitudes and readiness of nursing students in assessing peoples' sexual health problems.

Background: Sexual health is an important part of human physical health. Sexual wellbeing is a condition of physical, emotional, mental, and social ease concerning sexuality. Therefore, all health care professionals should respect, protect, and fulfil the sexual-health needs of a person.

The Value of a Motor Intervention for 3 to 6-Year-Old Children Infected with and Affected by HIV.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a large threat to human health and is challenging to address. This study aims to determine if motor intervention is a possibility for promoting the life expectancy and quality of life of children with HIV. The group consisted of 22 participants: 11 HIV-infected (51.

Professional nurses' perceptions regarding clinical competence of community service nurses in North West province, South Africa.

Background: South African Nursing Council requires nurses who successfully complete their training to perform a year of community service before obtaining registration as professional nurses (Regulation 425). Community service for health professionals was introduced as a strategy to retain newly qualified professionals within the country. The premise is that community service for newly graduated nurses gives them the opportunity to develop skills and acquire knowledge critical in their professional development.

A demographic approach to assess elevated blood pressure and obesity in prepubescent children: the ExAMIN Youth South Africa study.

Background: Obesity and hypertension prevalence among children are a concern, with limited evidence available on sex and ethnic differences in childhood blood pressure. We aimed to determine the number of children with hypertension and obesity to identify unique adiposity and blood pressure characteristics by sex and ethnicity, and to estimate the odds of having elevated blood pressure with increasing adiposity.

Methods: We included 1062 healthy children (5-9 years of age) in an observational school-based study in South Africa.

A conceptual framework for psychosocial health management grounded in the therapeutic merits of indigenous KhoiSan health dialogues.

Background: The researchers established that an indigenous KhoiSan community functions healthily without western mental health services. This community relies on indigenous healthcare with positive health outcomes over centuries. Despite this positive evidence, the community's therapeutic achievements have not been explored previously.

Long-Term Influences of Stunting, Being Underweight, and Thinness on the Academic Performance of Primary School Girls: The NW-CHILD Study.

Poor socio-economic status contributes to undernutrition which, in turn, can increase the risk of academic underachievement. This study wants to determine if stunting, being underweight, and thinness show long term relations with academic performance in primary school girls aged 6 to 13 in the North West province of South Africa. A randomized and stratified longitudinal research design including a baseline and two time-point measurements over seven school years was used.

Effect of the Growth Spurt on Training of Strength and Power During Mid-Adolescence in Boys.

Badenhorst, J, Pienaar, AE, and Gerber, BP. The effect of the growth spurt on training of strength and power during mid-adolescence in boys. J Strength Cond Res 35(8): 2193-2204, 2021-This study determined if the growth spurt will influence the training of strength and power in boys (N = 86) of differing maturity levels.

Extensive cone-dependent spectral opponency within a discrete zone of the lateral geniculate nucleus supporting mouse color vision.

Color vision, originating with opponent processing of spectrally distinct photoreceptor signals, plays important roles in animal behavior. Surprisingly, however, comparatively little is understood about color processing in the brain, including in widely used laboratory mammals such as mice. The retinal gradient in S- and M-cone opsin (co-)expression has traditionally been considered an impediment to mouse color vision.

Influences of Differing Menarche Status on Motor Capabilities of Girls, 13 To 16 Years: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study.

Puberty and the onset of menarche influences the motor performance of girls. However, the magnitude of these influences during varying maturity status, is not clear. This longitudinal study over two years aimed to investigate differences in motor fitness between early and late developing girls based on pre- and post-menarche status.