Little is known about the dynamics of fertility transition in South Africa, though recent studies have begun to shed light on demographic changes in the country. This study presents trends and patterns of fertility observed in a rural South African population. Various demographic and statistical techniques were used to examine fertility patterns in a population of 21,847 women in a rural KwaZul...

1. Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa 2. South African Rugby Union (SARU), SARU House, 163 Uys Krige Road, Plattekloof, Cape Town, South Africa 3. Department of Public & Occupational Health and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Ams...

The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic burden of violence against children in South Africa. We assembled summative estimates of lifetime prevalence, calculated the magnitude of associations with negative outcomes, and thereby estimated the economic burden of violence against children. According to our calculations, 2.3 million and 84,287 disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lo...

Candida dubliniensis is a yeast species that has only recently been differentiated from Candida albicans. C. dubliniensis colonization was initially associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals. Because of the large proportion of AIDS patients in South Africa, we tested the generality of this association by assessing the prevalence of C. dubliniensis colonization amon...

Many migratory bird species, including the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), have advanced their arrival date at Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds, showing a clear biotic response to recent climate change. Earlier arrival helps maintain their synchrony with earlier springs, but little is known about the associated changes in phenology at their non-breeding grounds. Here, we examine the phenolo...

Adequate nutrition is essential in early childhood to ensure healthy growth, proper organ formation and function, a strong immune system, and neurological and cognitive development. Child malnutrition – as measured by poor child growth – is an important indicator for monitoring population nutritional status and health. In 2013, about 17%, or 98 million children under five years of age in develo...

South Africa is undergoing a number of changes, which has an effect on every aspect of society from the workplace to everyday life. South Africans need to reflect on this situation and determine how to proceed. The purpose of this article is to consider the development and implementation of information technology, one particular problem area, in this broader context. The article draws an analog...

OBJECTIVES To quantify the mortality burden attributed to urban outdoor air pollution in South Africa in 2000. DESIGN The study followed comparative risk assessment (CRA) methodology developed by the World Heath Organization (WHO). In most urban areas, annual mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM) with diameters less than 10 microm (PM10) from monitoring network data and PM with diame...

OBJECTIVES To compare outcomes of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa, where viral load monitoring is routine, with those in Malawi and Zambia, where monitoring is based on CD4 cell counts. METHODS We included 18,706 adult patients starting ART in South Africa and 80,937 patients in Zambia or Malawi. We examined CD4 responses in models for repeated measures and the probability of swi...