Papers by Uchenna B. Okafor
Frontiers in Public Health, Apr 1, 2022
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Sep 14, 2020
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Oct 29, 2020
African Journal of Reproductive Health, Dec 1, 2020
The Open Public Health Journal, Aug 18, 2020
Uncovering Barriers To Prenatal Physical Activity And Exercise Among South African Women
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Sep 1, 2022
South African Family Practice, May 24, 2022
Applying the Ecological Model to understand pregnant women's perspectives on the modifiable constraints to physical activity during pregnancy
Medicine, Dec 4, 2020
Abstract The benefits of physical activity (PA) during pregnancy are widely reported; however, PA... more Abstract The benefits of physical activity (PA) during pregnancy are widely reported; however, PA practice is seemingly not a valued habit among pregnant women attending public antenatal health centres in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Guided by the ecological model, we sought to explore modifiable barriers to PA among pregnant women. Semi-structured interviews involved a purposive sample of 15 pregnant women. Interview questions were guided by the ecological model constructs at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental level. Thematic analysis was applied to summarise the modifiable barriers to PA during pregnancy. Three main themes emerged, based on the modifiable barriers to PA during pregnancy that belong to the varying Ecological Model constructs. On the intrapersonal level, 5 themes emerged, namely, time-constraint beliefs, feeling of tiredness, low energy, lack of motivation, and a lack of knowledge on benefits and types of PA. Two themes emerged for the interpersonal level, lack of PA advice and lack of information on PA recommendations and guidelines. Another theme defined the environmental level lacking resources. Most themes related to individual factors, which prevent PA-promoting behaviour. Overall, intrapersonal factors relating to tiredness and exhaustion, lack of time beliefs, work and household commitments, and lack of motivation were key modifiable barriers to PA by the women. The findings provide insights into possible interventional strategies to optimise PA during pregnancy among women in this setting. Appropriate knowledge, education and advice on the benefits, types, and intensity of PA in pregnancy are needed.
African journal of reproductive health, 2020
Teenage pregnancy has become a common global public health issue, associated with increased risk ... more Teenage pregnancy has become a common global public health issue, associated with increased risk of obstetric complications and adverse neonatal outcomes. Teenagers are more prone to obstetric complications compared to older women. This study examined the maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes among teenagers, and compared them with older pregnant women. This study extracted maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes from 196 medical records of women delivered at Fort Beaufort Hospital from April 2017 to March 2018. Teenagers developed anaemia (13%) and pre-eclampsia (2.1%) during pregnancy as compared to older pregnant women. Most of the women delivered through normal vertex, although the teenagers had the highest percentage of caesarean section (27%) compared to the older women. Few proportions of women developed complications during delivery, however, obstructed labour (14.7%), prolonged labour (11.5%), foetal distress (14.8%) was more prevalent in teenagers. Most neonates were deliv...
The Open Public Health Journal, 2020
The ravaging Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic is nearly halting global activities. Disturb... more The ravaging Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic is nearly halting global activities. Disturbingly, many countries fear and continue to battle how to combat the epidemic amidst several contextual challenges. In South Africa, amidst other measures, would the ‘lockdown’ approach help curb the trend of COVID-19? What fallacy are theories spreading against facts about COVID-19? Worried by the rising cases of COVID-19, the government proposed a ‘locked down’ approach. As of 02 June 2020, COVID-19 cases in South Africa rose to 35812, with 755 deaths recorded. There is a tendency for young people to defy rules.Young people should take the lockdown seriously and discard the unfounded theories or rumors about the virus. Only a collective, decisive and disciplined approach regarding the lockdown measure could reverse the upward trend of COVID-19 cases in South Africa. The collaborative efforts of the government, the private sector and the scientific community are necessary in this situation.
Healthcare, 2021
Background: Despite scientific evidence on prenatal physical activity and exercise, synthesized e... more Background: Despite scientific evidence on prenatal physical activity and exercise, synthesized evidence is lacking on the provision of prenatal physical activity and exercise advice and counselling by prenatal healthcare providers. The scoping review seeks to fill this gap by synthesizing available literature on the provision of prenatal physical activity and exercise advice and counselling by prenatal healthcare providers to women during antenatal visits. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) search framework for scoping reviews was applied to retrieve original research articles on the prenatal physical activity and exercise practices of healthcare providers with pregnant women, published between 2010–2020, and available in English. The search databases included Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, EMBASE, The Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), BIOMED Central, Medline and African Journal...
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Papers by Uchenna B. Okafor