Background
South Africa has a comparatively high child mortality rate. The reason for this is, among others, the difficult access to health services for low-income inhabitants. In collaboration with Grootbos Foundation, a non-profit organization for the promotion of sustainability in South Africa, as well as i-med vision, a non-profit organization for health promotion via telemedicine, the access to health services in Masakhane, South Africa, was facilitated and the setting in direction of health promoting aspects was newly designed. Prof. Dr. Joerg Koenigstorfer, Prof. Dr. Markus Reckhardt and Dr. Barbara Reckhardt conducted empirical surveys to research the effects of this setting approach in October 2018.
The study
In 2017, four students of TUM collected data on-site. A post-survey was implemented after a one-year training of mediators in the township, a redesign of a kindergarten, and the construction of a further kindergarten. In all four kindergartens of the township, children as well as nursery teachers were surveyed. Furthermore, empirical data was collected at the parents' homes. The results are helpful to control whether the measures are effective. For example, they help the nursery teachers to recognize whether there are familiar problems at an early stage that can affect the health of the children. Insights into how a health-app can be designed to be accepted by township inhabitants were collected too. Based on this results, an app will be developed. The empirical studies were mostly conducted in Xhosa, the local language of the township residents. Translators of the township participated in the surveys.
Results
The success of the campaign has already been noticed. Besides the construction of a community-garden and an artificial turf football field, four kindergartens, in which children can be physically active and are respected with regard to their health needs (e.g. keeping sanitary standards, implementation of a quality management) have been realized. The staff is trained and able to prevent proactively health problems at an early stage. Health effects are anticipated to take place.
Further information:
https://www.grootbos.com/en/grootbos-foundation
Contact
Chair of Sport and Health Management
Prof. Dr. Jörg Königstorfer
Secretary: Mirjam Eggers
Uptown Munich Campus D
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Germany
Phone: +49.89.289.24559
Fax: +49.89.289.24642
info.mgt@sg.tum.de