Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #102454

Lydie A. Lebrun, Department of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 60 Haven Avenue, Level B2, New York, NY 10032, 212-304-7317, LL2161@columbia.edu, Faith Lamb-Parker, Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 60 Haven Avenue, Level B2, New York, NY 10032, Ellen L. Halpern, Salazar Associates, P.O. Box 2235, Flemington, NJ 08822, and Eva Kanono, Ntataise, P.O. Box 41, Viljoenskroon, 9520, South Africa.

Teachers from 25 preschools in six rural townships in Free State, South Africa completed surveys on a random sample of children (n = 687) enrolled during the 2004 school year (January 1 to December 31, 2004). The survey was conducted by a community organization for the purpose of gaining an understanding of aspects of children's lives that may impact their school performance. Relationships among the variables were sought in order to provide evidence-based data for program development in 2005.

The survey was conducted by Ntataise, a South African nongovernmental organization, founded in 1980 to help women in resource-poor rural areas gain the knowledge and skills necessary to establish preschools in their communities. A partnership established in 2000 between Columbia University and Ntataise (i.e., community leaders, parents, teachers, trainers) facilitated the collaboration on the survey project.

Four content areas were highlighted in the survey: family living arrangements, health status, behavior at preschool, and preschool attendance. Open-ended questions were coded and analyzed for prevalent themes. Profiles were compiled for each of the six townships. Results indicated that health status was significantly related to preschool attendance (p < .001) and school behavior (p < .005). That is, children with more health problems attended school less and exhibited more challenging school behaviors. No relationships were found between families' living arrangements and the three variables.

Differences among the townships will be described and implications for program development will be delineated.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to

• Identify issues affecting preschool children in rural South African communities.
• Understand differences among townships on the key variables (i.e., health, behavior, preschool attendance), and the impact of these differences on program planning.
• Develop recommendations for improving health and mental health services for these types of communities.

Keywords: Children's Health, Community Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.