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Biomedical subjects

M A Kibel

Publications and source records attributed to M A Kibel.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Sleeping positions of infants in the Cape Peninsula.

The prone position is thought to be an important factor in the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The sleep positions of unselected infants aged 6 months and younger attending clinics in the Cape Peninsula were studied; 62.4% slept prone with the face to the side. This position differs between the ethnic groups (whites 50.0%; blacks 58.7%; coloureds 69.8%) and the respondents' social class (higher classes 54.1%; lower classes 69.2%). The sex of the baby, the sleeping place and the educational level of the mother did not influence the position used. Ninety-four per cent of black infants slept with their mothers compared with 71% of coloured and 4% of white babies. The study confirmed that there are cultural differences in sleeping positions adopted by infants. The role this plays in SIDS among different ethnic groupings still needs to be clarified.

Educational Status↗
PubMed1992

Childhood tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis: high incidence rates in the Western Cape of South Africa.

In recent years higher incidence rates of tuberculosis (TB) have been reported from the Western Cape than from other health regions of South Africa. In contrast to the various pulmonary forms of tuberculosis, tuberculous meningitis (TBM) always requires hospital admission, and can thus be used as an indicator of the extent of the infection in a community, as well as providing a measure of the effectiveness of primary and secondary preventive measures. In the present study an attempt was made to identify all cases of tuberculous meningitis aged 14 years and younger which occurred in the region, by checking notifications and the records of all hospitals, and verifying diagnosis against set criteria. Rates for the entire period were calculated according to updated census data. There was a total of 689 confirmed cases, of which only 55% had been notified. Of the 238 cases confirmed in the 3-years period, 1985-1987, 25.2% were under 1 year, 51.7% under 2 years, and 79.8% under 5 years of age. Age-specific incidence per 100,000 children were respectively 31.5 (0-1 years), 17.1 (1-4 years), 4.8 (5-9 years), and 0.7 (10-14 years). Rates in rural areas were far higher than in metropolitan regions. Utilizing tuberculin test data and total notifications, the following risks could be calculated for 'Coloured' children (of mixed race) aged 0-4 years: 2-3% annual risk of infection; 15.7% risk of TB in infected population; 0.5% risk of TBM in infected population; 0.9% risk of TB in children aged 5-14 years; 0.01% risk of TBM in children aged 5-14 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Ear and hearing disorders in rural grade 2 (Sub B) schoolchildren in the western Cape.

Four hundred and one children living in rural areas with a high level of poverty were assessed for ear and hearing disorders in their second year of schooling. Overall, only 40.3% of these children had both normal-appearing ear drums and normal hearing thresholds bilaterally; 14% had obstructing wax plugs; 17% had evidence of past acute otitis media with scarring or progression to chronicity--6% having perforations; 31% had middle-ear effusions and/or their sequelae; and 33% had some impairment of hearing but, if the effect of testing in the classroom environment is considered, there was probably only significant impairment in 9%. It is suggested that the prevalence of chronic ear disorders is a useful marker of the quality of primary care in rural communities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

How rare is rare?

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Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed1990

Immunisation.

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Humans↗
PubMed1989

Early childhood mortality in Cape Town.

Early childhood mortality in the City of Cape Town was investigated with particular reference to preventability. Deaths were considered preventable if they resulted from infections or other acquired diseases and accidents. Non-preventable deaths were those resulting from congenital disorders, neoplastic disease and other non-acquired conditions. Cot deaths formed a third group. Mothers in the preventable group had had more pregnancies than those in the non-preventable group, and the children who died were more likely to have been born prematurely than children in the non-preventable group. Children in the preventable group came from lower social class backgrounds than those in the non-preventable group and were more frequently from single-parent families who lived with extended family or with people who were not related to them. Their families were less likely to own their own homes than families of children in the non-preventable group. The children who died had more siblings, more of whom had died previously, than children in a control group. The cot death group did not differ from the preventable group, but did differ from the non-preventable group with regard to gestational age and paternal occupation. The study shows that preventable deaths were particularly associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1989

Postneonatal mortality in the Matroosberg Divisional Council area of the Cape Western Health Region.

Postneonatal deaths in the Matroosberg Divisional Council area were studied with particular reference to social and nutritional factors. Adverse social circumstances were strongly associated with death during the first year of life. The children who died had fathers who were less educated and held lower rated jobs than fathers of children in a control group. They were less likely to have belonged to a nuclear family and were more likely to have had families with social problems. They were also more frequently bottle-fed, were more likely to have been underweight, and were less often fully immunised. The study illustrates the need for a GOBI-FFF intervention strategy in the area.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1989

Blood lead levels in young newspaper vendors.

Young newspaper vendors spend long hours working in high-traffic areas and may be at risk of lead toxicity. Two groups of these vendors working in areas with different atmospheric lead levels were compared with a control group. Vendors in central Cape Town (mean ambient lead level of 2.1 mg/m3) had a mean blood lead level of 19.5 micrograms/dl, whereas vendors in Bellville (mean ambient lead level of 0.65 mg/m3) had a mean blood lead level of 15.4 micrograms/dl. The mean blood lead level of the control group was 11.0 micrograms/dl. These differences were statistically significant and lend support to the view that direct absorption of atmospheric lead can make a considerable contribution to lead load.

Adolescent↗