University of Zimbabwe

About: University of Zimbabwe is a education organization based out in Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The organization has 4378 authors who have published 6800 publications receiving 160720 citations. The organization is also known as: UZ & University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Correlates of blood pressure in an urban Zimbabwean population and comparison to other populations of African origin.

Abstract: We have evaluated the relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, sodium to potassium ratio (Na/K), and tobacco use in an urban African population. We conducted a random, population-based, cross-sectional survey of people 25 years and older in Marondera, Zimbabwe, with over-sampling in older age groups (n = 775), using a method comparable to that used in International Collaborative Study on Hypertension in Blacks (ICSHIB). The age-adjusted prevalences of hypertension in Marondera (SBP >/=140/DBP >/=90/antihypertensive medication) were 30% for women and 21% for men. The average BMI was 26.3 kg/m2 for women and 21.4 kg/m2 for men. The prevalence of hypertension had a steep association with age and in women ranged from 15% (25-34 years) to 63% (55 years and over) and in men from 9% to 47%. No tobacco use in women and greater Na/K ratio in spot urines in men were significantly associated with an increased SBP. In both men and women the levels of hypertension and SBP were strongly positively associated with BMI, although the relationship appeared to plateau in women with a BMI greater than >/=25 kg/m2. At a given BMI, men and women had similar SBPs and prevalences of hypertension. There is a very high prevalence of hypertension among urban Zimbabweans, particularly among women. Under the assumption the studies are comparable, the prevalence of hypertension in Zimbabwean women (41%) and men (26%) after age adjustment to the ICSHIB populations, appeared higher than almost all of the ICSHIB populations, including those with higher average body mass indexes. Journal of Human Hypertension (2000) 14, 65-73.

A randomised clinical trial of loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) versus cryotherapy in the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Abstract: The objective of the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is the prevention of invasive carcinoma of the cervix, which still remains the most common cancer in Zimbabwean women, as in most other low-resource countries where screening facilities are grossly inadequate. We conducted a randomised prospective study to compare CIN treatment outcome after cryotherapy and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) in 400 women with histologically confirmed high grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions (HGSIL). Treatment outcome measures were immediate complications, persistent disease and recurrent disease evaluated at follow-up visits. Eighty-two per cent of the women (159 cryotherapy, 168 LEEP) completed their 6-month and 12-month follow-up visits. LEEP had a significantly higher overall cure rate of 96·4% (absence of persistant or recurrent disease) compared to 88·3% cryotherapy ( P =0·026). Although cryotherapy was not superior to LEEP, its cure rate (88·3%) is acceptable and therefore pro...

Local Ecological Knowledge on Climate Change and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Strategies Promote Resilience in the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve, Zimbabwe

Abstract: Understanding local community perceptions on impacts, causes, and responses to climate change is vital for promotion of community resilience towards climate change. This study explored local ecological knowledge (LEK) held by local communities on climate change trends and impacts in the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve (MZBR), Zimbabwe. The objectives of the study were to (i) investigate local community perceptions on trends and causes of climate change, (ii) identify biophysical impacts of climate change at the local level, and (iii) explore the ecosystem-based adaptation strategies towards climate change. The study used a mixed methods approach where a household questionnaire survey (n=320), key informant interviews (n=12), and focus group discussions (n=8) were used to collect data between April 2015 and October 2016. Results from the study show that local communities have observed decreasing rainfall and increasing temperatures as key indicators of climate change. Local communities observed water scarcity, changes in vegetation phenology, livestock and wildlife mortalities, and food shortages due to drought as the major impacts on their livelihoods. LEK can contribute to adaptive management strategies that enhance resilience of socioecological systems (SES) in the face of climate change by providing information on the status and use of biophysical components of the environment and by highlighting potential local adaptation strategies that can sustain key livelihood practices.