African Journal for Physical Activity and Health Sciences (AJPHES) - Volume 22, Issue Issue-31, September 2016

In the last 20 years, many national and international health organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), have consistenly implicated smoking as a leading cause of cancer and other respiratory diseases which have accounted for millions of lives world-wide. Many private and public organisations have also invested millions to curb the deleterious impacts of smoking on health and most importantly, invest considerably in anti-smoking and smoking prevention programmes. The lead article in this issue of AJPHES by Muposhi and Dhurup addresses consumers' perceptions about electronic cigarettes and its relationship with quitting intention.

It's with the deepest regret that we announce the sudden passing of Professor L.O. Amusa, whose sad event occurred on 11 August 2016. The following day after Professor Amusa's death, many of his colleagues in South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, other African countries, and indeed the international societies that he had served for several years, heard the terrible news. Professor Amusa was not only a benefactor and mentor who hugely shaped many people's views on life, work, academics and research, he was a leader of international repute, an icon and an academic giant in Physical Education and Sport Science in Africa. Professor Amusa's death is not only a big blow to the Physical Education and sport fraternity on the African continent, but is also an irreplaceable loss to the international sport community. Until his untimely death, Professor Amusa was the founding Head of the Centre for Biokinetics, Recreation and Sports Science at the School of Health Sciences, University of Venda (UNIVEN), South Africa. Before his last appointment at UNIVEN, he was the founding Head of the Department of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. He was involved in teaching and research at the university level for over 40 years, having worked in Nigeria, Botswana and South Africa. Professor Amusa had considerable wealth of experience in Sport and Exercise Science, Physical Education and Sports, Recreation and Leisure Services as well as Sport Management, and published over 200 articles, 30 books and 42 chapters in books on various aspects of Physical Education and Sports Science in his career.

The study examines the attitudes of young consumers towards electronic cigarettes and whether e-cigarettes usage is associated with quitting intention. Using a cross sectional survey, data were generated from 161 users of electronic cigarettes drawn from South Africa's Gauteng Province. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that e-cigarette perceived value, awareness and social value positively influence consumers' willingness to use e-cigarettes. The study also showed a negative relationship between willingness to vape and quitting intention, implying that respondents were not perceiving e-cigarettes as an aid to quit tobacco smoking. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on consumer perceptions towards electronic cigarettes. Implications for the marketing of e-cigarettes, policy formulation and avenues for further research are provided.

Prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programme is effective when implemented properly. The purpose of the study was to explore factors contributing to missed opportunities in the PMTCT programme in the sub-district of Ngaka Modiri Molema (NMM). A qualitative exploratory descriptive design was used in the study. The population was all midwives working at NMM district public health centers. The midwives were purposivefully selected based on their knowledge of PMTCT. The sample size was determined by data saturation and 9 midwives were interviewed. Face-to-face individual interviews was conducted using semi structured interview guide. The tape recorder was used for capturing interviews and field notes captured cues. Tesch's eight steps coding process were used for data analysis. The researchers listened to the audiotapes and manually transcribed the themes, read the transcripts to understand and make meaning of ideas that emerged. The study found several factors contributing to missed opportunities in the PMTCT programme which were religious, cultural, ignorance, denial and lack of knowledge about PMTCT. The recommendations were the following: regular in-service training about PMTCT for the midwives, health education about the importance of PMTCT, nursing curriculum to include PMTCT and collaboration between the health care workers, churches, traditional leaders with regard to the implementation of PMTCT.

There are many ways to keep the memory of the late first African President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela alive and make a difference in the lives of communities. University of South Africa has a time to serve to inspire the communities. With regard to education and literacy, the university leads by example. College of Human Sciences Health Literacy Project is a community based initiative whose primary aim is that of empowering school age youth cricket players by providing health literacy shows to schools, sports clubs centers and public venues. The project aims to improve physical health of youth through sporting activity of cricket training to learners in the local schools of the Province. The study employed a qualitative research approach to explore the views and roles of cricket youth players with regard to health literacy. Three focus group discussions were conducted with 15 to 20 participants. The age of the participants ranged from seven to 18 years. All the participants were learners and residing with their parents. Youth expressed their views and roles with regard to health literacy in different ways. A theme with three sub-themes emerged from thematic content analysis of the collected data as awareness of basic health information, prevention of risky behaviours, studying further and the importance of nature conservation.

Inverted nipples occur in an estimated 9 to 10 percent of women globally, contributing to the number of women who are not exclusively breastfeeding their infants. Women with inverted nipples may want to breastfeed, but infants may be unable to latch to the breast. Inverted nipples can be corrected, but it is unclear if women know about suitable interventions. This study assessed if pregnant women knew about the available techniques to correct inverted nipples. We conducted individual interviews with nine pregnant women with inverted nipples in a tertiary hospital in South Africa. Data were analysed using an inductive content analysis. Most of the women had very limited knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding or inverted nipples and knew very little about correcting devices. These women thought that their infants would be unable to latch and that exclusive breastfeeding would be impossible. Pregnant women with inverted nipples should be educated about methods to correct their nipples.

The study aims to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of physical activity in a sample of chronic disease patients in three Southeast Asian countries (Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam). A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2014 among 4803 adult chronic disease patients (69.6% were female and 30.4% male) recruited cross-sectionally from health facilities. Physical activity was measured using the validated Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Results indicate that 30.9% engaged in low physical activity, 24.6% in moderate and 44.5% in high physical activity. The main contributors to total physical activity were from working and active commuting. The results of multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the prevalence of low physical activity was associated with being male, older age, higher educational level, being single, divorced or widowed, residing in a rural area, not formally employed, low quality of life, problem drinking, tobacco use and depressive symptoms. A significant proportion of chronic disease patients engaged in low physical activity. Several factors were identified which may assist in programmes to promote physical activity in this population.

While studies on unsafe abortion practices and abortion-related deaths among young women with low socio-economic status are reported in Sub-Saharan Africa, scanty information exists on young educated women, especially university students. This study explores the perceptions of female undergraduate students concerning unplanned premarital and unwanted pregnancy, and the implications on abortion practices. The study is based on data from a mixed-method study involving a survey of 420 female students in two universities in Southwestern Nigeria, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results showed that most participants consider unplanned pregnancy to have negative consequences on educational goal attainment as well as physical and emotional wellbeing. Parenting style, social stigma attached to premarital pregnancy and fears about the socio-economic consequences of raising a baby and dropping out of school are reasons female university students would strife to avoid pregnancy. There are dreadful underlying cultural and socioeconomic consequences of premarital unplanned pregnancy as reported by majority of the students. Individual choices about what to do about an unplanned pregnancy could be greatly influenced by these socio-cultural factors.

Sport psychology in South Africa has for many years been characterised by the deficit perspective on human nature focusing on "what is wrong with sports people". Psychological Skills Training (PST) programmes have been used to correct these deficits until optimal performance can happen in the "absence of discomfort." In this study, an asset perspective to performance enhancement was employed, i.e. the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) approach which views optimal performance as happening "despite discomfort". Sport psychologists present these interventions (PST and MAC) predominantly to cricket players, often neglecting other important role-players such as coaches. The aim of this study was to move away from the deficit perspective and individualistic interventions to an asset perspective with an ecological intervention. This was attained by using South African cricket coaches' experiences of the MAC programme in an experiential learning context. The extent to which experiential learning occurred was established through analyzing 18 individual in-depth, semi-structured interviews with coaches using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The major findings were that coaches experienced the MAC programme as flexible, accessible and a developmental psychological tool, which increased their knowledge of sport psychology. Coaches enjoyed the MAC programme and found the experiential learning and accompanying manual valuable.

Clinical sport psychology is an example of a differentiated and specialized discipline. This case study report focuses on a successful, long-term, clinical sport psychological intervention for a 24 year old, male, professional rugby union player. The athlete self-referred, through accessing a 24 hour rugby helpline service, owing to depression and anxiety which he had experienced following injury occurred whilst playing rugby. The 15 month intervention covered Person Centered, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Psychological Skills Training (PST), Mindfulness, Flow and HeartMath Techniques. A mixed methods quantitative and qualitative technique was used. The case study is instructive with regard to (a) integration of theory and practice of clinical and sport psychology (b) integration of different types of intervention (c) integration of different modes of intervention. Intervention was experientially positive, appreciated and recommended.

Differences in the sport psychological skill levels of team sport athletes (e.g., volleyball, rugby union, netball and field hockey) in different playing positions suggest that each playing position bears unique psychological demands. There seems to be contracting results and limited information on this topic in soccer. The aim of this study was to determine whether significant positional differences existed for various psychosocial variables among 263 student soccer players (M age = 22.64 years, SD = 2.28; range 1 - 32 years). The participants indicated their primary playing position (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or forward) and completed three instruments before the start of the University Sport South Africa soccer championship; the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ) of Sheard et al. (2009), the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 (ACSI-28) of Smith et al. (1995), and the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) of Carron et al. (1985). A one-way analysis of variance with least significant difference post-hoc tests was performed. With regard to mental toughness the defenders scored higher than the midfielders on constancy, whilst the midfielders exerted greater control than the defenders and forwards respectively. No positional differences were evident for the seven psychological skills. The group integration-task scores of the forwards and goalkeepers were higher than that of the midfielders. The results confirm the general assumption that positional differences exist for various psychosocial variables among team sport athletes. Implications for psychological skills training programmes and the development of group cohesion aimed at enhancing performance are discussed.

The common thread that synchronises all activities associated in a sport organisation is its human resources - the people who work tirelessly behind the scene to bring the best possible experience in sport to the management, players, sponsors and spectators. Thus, the most precious asset in any organisation today is not its activities, the production line, its retail outlets, the finances, the technology or the inventory in the warehouse, but its human resources - the people who make up the organisation. This conceptual paper on issues and challenges experienced by human resources in sport organisations focuses on two human resources, namely the sport coach and volunteers who play a crucial role in assisting the sport organisation achieve its objectives. With regard to the sport coach the focus is on sport coaching, job security and performance appraisal. Recommendations on improving their job security and appraising their performance are provided. The important function that volunteers perform is highlighted and suggestions regarding attracting and retaining them are provided. The preparation of human resources for the sport industry is also discussed. It is argued that the dynamic nature of sport, its increasingly competitive environment and exponential growth in South Africa warrants a greater understanding of the issues and challenges of human resources so that they can be addressed appropriately.

Despite the resurgent growth of professional football and its significant contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the tourism and leisure sector in South Africa, little research has been undertaken to explore the principle motives for sport consumption amongst the country's football fans. This research applied the motivation for sport consumption theory to evaluate the direct and indirect relationship between the fundamental psychological motives for sport consumption and buying behaviours of football fans. Subsequently, the direct- and indirect effects of sport fan identity with team to this relationship were also appraised. A sample of 2518 (95.3% African, 80.3% male) fans of one of the country's most prodigious Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams participated in the study. Structural equation modelling methods were applied to scrutinise postulated paths between the latent variables. Results suggested that several of the sport consumption motives influence the purchasing decision of South African football fans. Further, identification with a team revealed as a mediator between a number of the sport consumption motives and buying behaviour. Findings are discussed and recommendations made. The research was approached from the paradigms of customer engagement (CE) and the broaden-and-build theories.

Profiling attendees at sport related events is an established research theme both in the developed and developing contexts. While most of the scholarship has mainly focused on profiling major events, specifically in the developed context, a range of studies has increasingly emerged from the less developed and developing context from an impact perspective. In the South African discourse on sport events, profiling tourists at golf events have been largely unexplored. The current research surveys 237 spectators at the 2015 Africa Open Golf Challenge to demonstrate current socio-demographic characteristics in terms of (i) nationality and place of residence, (ii) age, gender, income, level of education, (iii) travel behaviour, (iv) consumption pattern. Findings revealed that the event attracts mainly local and domestic visitors, most of whom are males in their early forties. Furthermore, the attendees of the event participated in various tourism activities that contributed to the local economy. The study provides empirical evidence of differences in the socio-demographic composition of the market presented by the event and underscore the need for concerted market segmentation with the aim to improve upon the economic contribution of the event on the part of host destination managers.