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Where are we with noncommunicable diseases health promotion in South Africa, where should we be, and how can we get to where we need to be?

The necessity to have healthy individuals and populations, and for countries to take concerted actions to optimise health, is largely self-evident and also strongly reinforced by a robust international evidence base. In South Africa, this need is urgent due to a growing disease prevalence and burden, especially from non-communicable diseases  (NCDs)2.

Tobacco use and nicotine dependence among people living with HIV who drink heavily in South Africa: A cross-sectional baseline study

Background

Tobacco use is associated with many health conditions including several types of cancer.[1] The average smoker dies 10 years earlier[2] and starts to suffer disability 12 years earlier than the general population.[3] As of 2016, there were about 7 million people living with HIV (PLWH) in South Africa, with 56%  having access to antiretroviral therapy (ART).[4] PLWH already have a compromised immune system due to their HIV status but this is worsened by the use of tobacco products thus increasing morbidity and mortality rates among this subpopulation.[5, 6] Tobacco usere

Alcohol & HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: Situational Analysis, 2012

The role of alcohol consumption in HIV disease is of particular concern in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), which has among the highest HIV prevalence rates globally (UNAIDS, 2010a) and high levels of harmful use of alcohol (WHO, 2011).

Cannabinoids for medical use

This SAMRC Policy Brief summarises the key points of a systematic review evaluating the medicinal use of cannabis. The review was published in June 2015 by Whiting et al. in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) [1].

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Dr Penny Whiting, author of the review, who kindly shared her time and expertise in preparation of this SAMRC Policy Brief.

Selected Findings (Year 1) from the Alcohol Environment Protocol component of the International Alcohol Control Study (South Africa) and Policy Considerations

In May 2010 the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol was approved by Member States at the 63rd session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva. A major goal of the Strategy is to support and complement public health policies in Member States. The Strategy recognises that harmful use of alcohol can be reduced if effective actions that are based on current scientific knowledge, available evidence on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, experience and good practice, are taken by countries (World Health Organization, 2010).

Pilot test of the South African Addiction Treatment Services Assessment. Phase 1

This report details and discusses the psychometric analysis of the South African Addiction Treatment Service Assessment measurement instrument (SAATSA). The SAATSA was developed by the Service Quality Measurement (SQM) initiative, a project funded by the Centres for Disease Control and located at the Medical Research Council (MRC). The SQM and the SAATSA was initiated to address the glaring lack of proper metrics for the assessment of service quality in the treatment of substance abuse in South Africa.

Pilot test of the South African Addiction Treatment Services Assessment. Phase 2

The purpose of the second iteration of the SAATSA pilot was to address the methodological and measurement shortcomings identified in the first iteration. These related variously to 1) the fieldwork, data capture and data vetting processes, 2) the collection and capture of relevant background demographic and administrative data, and 3), the measurement of individual SAATSA items and SAATSA scales.

Review of Research on Alcohol and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

The links between alcohol consumption, sexual risk behaviour and HIV infection warrant special attention in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, where HIV prevalence rates and levels of harmful use of alcohol are high [1;2]. In 2010 sub-Saharan Africa had an estimated  22 900 000 people living with HIV, who comprised approximately 68% of all people living with HIV globally [1].

Methamphetamine use and associated problems among adolescents in the Western cape province of South Africa

Over the past six years the Western Cape province in South Africa has emerged as one of the regions in the world with the highest levels of methamphetamine use.(1) Methamphetamine (known locally as ‘tik’) is considered as one of the most dangerous illicit drugs with  numerous side effects, including psychosis, depression, and weight loss.

Survey on Substance use, Risk behaviour and Mental health among Grade 8-10 learners in Schools in the Western Cape Province, 2011

In 2010/2011 the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Southern Africa tasked the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council with conducting a survey in order to determine the regional prevalence of drug and alcohol use, risk behaviours and mental health problems among school learners in grades 8-10.

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