Ms Ronel Sewpaul
I am a statistician at the Human Sciences Research Council, South Africa, and worked previously as a research scientist at the SA Medical Research Council. My research interests include biostatistics, survey methodology, tobacco control, risk factors for NCDs and health promotion research. I have experience in statistical processes and research methodology in public health, health promotion research and behavioural sciences. I worked as a statistician on several projects including longitudinal cohort studies, and several large scale surveys such as the South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES I), and the South African National Youth Risk Behaviour Surveys.
Artificial intelligence approach for analyzing anaemia prevalence in children and adolescents in Brics countries: a review
Anemia prevalence, especially among children and adolescents, is a serious public health burden in the BRICS countries. This article gives an overview....
Health-care workers: the reluctant heroes?
During the COVID-19 lockdown, for a few minutes each evening, a cacophony of buzzing from vuvuzelas, clinking from spoons beating on pots and pans, wh....
Prevalence and treatment cascades for hypertension and diabetes in South Africa: data from SANHANES
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The association between biopsychosocial factors and disability in a national health survey in South Africa
The association between psychosocial factors and disability is less clear. This study investigated the biological and psychosocial (employment and psy....
Understanding the determinants of hemoglobin and iron status: adolescent-adult women comparisons in SANHANES-1
The study compared hemoglobin (Hb) and serum ferritin levels between adolescent and adult women with different body mass indices, dietary intake, and ....
The impact of sociodemography, diet, and body size on serum retinol in women 16-35 years of age: SANHANES-1
To determine the current vitamin A status of a nationally representative sample of women aged 16-35 years, compare it with previous national data, and....
Quantifying unmet need for hypertension care in South Africa through a care cascade: evidence from the SANHANES, 2011-2012
Hypertension has become a major cause of morbidity and premature mortality in South Africa, but population-wide estimates of prevalence and access to ....
South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development: main analysis report 2013/14
Performance of research and development is aimed at creating new knowledge, products and processes. The National Survey of Research and Experimental D....
Examining the risk factors that contribute to lifestyle diseases within the Gauteng province: technical report
The primary aim of the report is to assess the burden of lifestyle diseases on the health sector in the Gauteng Province. The objectives are: i) to es....
Evaluation of the factors that contribute to malnutrition in children aged 0-5 years in the province of Gauteng
Adequate nutrition in early childhood promotes healthy growth and development, and is critically important for a healthy and economically productive p....
The Sackler Institute for nutrition science report: adolescent girl-adult women comparison study: the nutritional status and metabolic disease risk profile of South African women (15+ years)
The prevalence of malnutrition (under- and overweight, and nutrient deficiencies) in SA has consistently been reported to have risen, albeit variably,....
Teenage pregnancy in South Africa: reducing prevalence and lowering maternal mortality rates
Changes in policy in the health, education and social development sectors have the power to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy, and to reduce the co....
South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development: Statistical report 2013/14
The 2013/14 R&D survey shows that gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) has increased in nominal terms in South Africa for the third co....
Body image and weight control in South Africans 15 years or older: SANHANES-1
South African studies have suggested that differences in obesity prevalence between groups may be partly related to differences in body image and body....
Prevalence of tobacco use among adults in South Africa: results from the first South African national health and nutrition examination survey
Background. Data on tobacco use have informed the effectiveness of South Africa's tobacco control strategies over the past 20 years. Objective. To est....
Tobacco control and health
This policy brief provides research evidence of the progress and challenges in combating tobacco use in South Africa, and sets out key policy recomme....
Prevalence and correlates of smokeless tobacco use among grade 8-11 school learners in South Africa: a nationwide study
Smokeless tobacco in South Africa is commonly used in the form of snuff or chewing tobacco. This paper reports its use among secondary school learners....
Suicide and related health riks behaviours among school learners in South Africa: results from the 2002 and 2008 national youth riks behaviour surveys
Attempted and completed suicide constitute a major public health problem among young people world-wide, including South Africa (SA). Suicide attempt a....
Umthente Uhlaba Usamila: the 3rd South African National Youth Risk Behaviour Survey 2011
The objectives of the studies is to provide provincially and nationally representative data, inform intervention development, inform policy developmen....
The South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1): data analysis on infant feeding practices, and anthropometry in children under five years of age: South Africa 2012
The South African National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1) was established by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) as a pop....
A decade of tobacco control: the South African case of politics, health policy, health promotion and behaviour change
The South African (SA) government has implemented comprehensive tobacco control measures in line with the requirements of the Framework Convention on....
Predictors of knowledge about tuberculosis: results from SANHANES I, a national, cross-sectional household survey in South Africa
South Africa is one of the 22 high tuberculosis burden countries that contribute 80 % of the global tuberculosis cases. Tuberculosis is infectious and....
The association between psychological distress, alcohol use and physical non-communicable diseases in a nationally representative sample of South Africans
This study examines the associations between symptoms of mental disorders and diabetes and hypertension in a nationally representative sample of South....
Teenage pregnancy rates and associations with other health risk behaviours: a three-wave cross-sectional study among South African school-going adolescents
Teenage pregnancy still remains high in low and middle-income countries (LMIC), as well as in high-income countries (HIC). It is a major contributor t....
Predictors of nurses' and midwives' intentions to provide maternal and child healthcare services to adolescents in South Africa
Adolescent mothers are at a much higher risk for maternal mortality compared to mothers aged 20 years and above. Newborns born to adolescent mothers a....
Self-reported diabetes during pregnancy in the South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: extent and social determinants
Diabetes is a serious and growing public health concern in South Africa, but its prevalence and distribution in pregnant women is not well known. Wome....
Psychological distress and C-reactive protein in a South African national survey
To examine the association of psychological distress with serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in a South African cohort. Data were analysed on individuals ....
Body image and the double burden of nutrition among South Africans from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds: SANHANES-1
This study investigated the associations between underweight, obesity and body image (BI) among 15+ year-old South Africans with diverse socio-demogra....
Early detection, care and control of hypertension and diabetes in South Africa: a community-based approach
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major public health concern with raised blood pressure and glucose emerging as leading causes of death and disa....
South Africans' understanding of and response to the COVID-19 outbreak: an online survey
The COVID-19 outbreak is in an accelerating phase, and South Africa (SA) has had the highest number of documented cases during the early phase of the ....
Eye care utilization among diabetics in the South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1): a cross-sectional study
Diabetes is a chronic disease of uncontrolled blood sugar levels. People with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing visual impairment and ot....
Eye care utilization pattern in South Africa: results from SANHANES-1
Eye examinations are recommended for all persons throughout life. However, there is disparity in the uptake of eye care services in different populati....
Letter to the editor: South African health professionals' state of wellbeing during the emergence of COVID-19
Given the rapid emergence of COVID-19 in South Africa (SA), little is known about the wellbeing of our health professionals. The mortality rate from C....
Age at the onset of tobacco smoking in South Africa: a discrete-time survival analysis of the prognostic factors
While knowledge of onset of smoking tobacco, and associated risk factors can aid the formulation of evidence-based policy and interventions, such info....
Prevalence and associated factors of vision loss in the South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1)
Vision loss is a major public health concern that significantly affects developing countries, including South Africa. Although existing literature hav....
Factors associated with self-efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infection in April 2020, KwaZulu-Natal
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Compliance with lockdown regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa: findings from an online survey
SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a nationally representative online survey conducted several weeks on the pandemic, this pap....
Preparedness for self-isolation or quarantine and lockdown in South Africa: results from a rapid online survey
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic a public health emergency of international concern. South Africa, like many other c....
Mobile health interventions addressing childhood and adolescent obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe: current landscape and potential for future research
Child and adolescent overweight is a growing public health problem globally. Europe and low and middle-income (LMIC) countries in Sub-Saharan Africa p....
Vision loss, vision difficulty and psychological distress in South Africa: results from SANHANES-1
Psychological distress in vision impairments and blindness is a complex issue and a major public health concern. Sudden adjustments in routine lifesty....
Mapping the burden of hypertension in South Africa: a comparative analysis of the national 2012 SANHANES and the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey
This study investigates the provincial variation in hypertension prevalence in South Africa in 2012 and 2016, adjusting for individual level demograph....
Determinants of social distancing among South Africans from 12 days into the COVID-19 lockdown: a cross sectional study
Social or physical distancing has been an effective measure for reducing the spread of COVID-19 infections. Investigating the determinants of adherenc....
Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth in the Post School Education and Training (PSET) sector in South Africa
While many believe that exposure to COVID-19 affects mostly the elderly, youth are not impervious to the novel coronavirus. However, young people in m....
A mixed reception: perceptions of pregnant adolescents' experiences with health care workers in Cape Town, South Africa
Maternal mortality among adolescent mothers in South Africa is higher than many middle-income countries. This is largely attributable to conditions th....
Anaemia in children and adolescents: a bibliometric analysis of BRICS countries (1990-2020)
Brazil, Russia, India China and South Africa have prioritized cooperation regarding health, including malnutrition. Anaemia in children, adolescents a....
Determinants of confidence in overall knowledge about COVID-19 among healthcare workers in South Africa: results from an online survey
Adequate information and knowledge about COVID-19 has been shown to induce the confidence and positive performance among healthcare workers (HCWs). Th....
Adolescents living with HIV in South Africa
As we approach the fourth decade of the HIV pandemic, there are still glaring gaps in the evidence base regarding the mode of transmission, health, be....
Spatial analysis of perceived health system capability and actual health system capacity for COVID-19 in South Africa
Peoples confidence in the health system's capability in managing the COVID-19 pandemic can determine public support, risk perceptions, and compliance ....
Racial disparities in psychological distress in post-apartheid South Africa: results from the SANHANES-1 survey
South Africa has long endured a high prevalence of mental disorders at the national level, and its unique social and historical context could be a con....
Prevalence of multimorbidity of cardiometabolic conditions and associated risk factors in a population-based sample of South Africans: A cross-sectional study
Ageing populations have led to a growing prevalence of multimorbidity. Cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM), the co-existence of two or more cardiometa....
Race, geographical location and other risk factors for hypertension: South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011/12
Hypertension is the leading cardiovascular disease in Africa. It is increasing in prevalence due partly to the epidemiological transition that African....
Trends and correlates of HIV prevalence among adolescents in South Africa: evidence from the 2008, 2012 and 2017 South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour surveys
Adolescents are at increased risk of HIV infection compared to other age groups. There is an urgent need for strategic information that will inform pr....
Training healthcare workers for epidemic response: are front line healthcare professionals doing drills during the fire?
In this brief we identify training gaps existing among healthcare professionals and recommend interventions to address these gaps, specifically among ....
Comparison of the ability of anthropometric indices to predict the risk of Diabetes Mellitus in South African males: SANHANES-1
This study aimed to assess the sensitivity of body mass index (BMI) to predict the risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) and whether waist circumference (WC)....
Factors influencing healthcare workers' perception of South African health system capability for managing COVID-19 pandemic
During the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa in March 2020, there was an urgent mobilization of healthcare workers (HCWs) who had to ....
Social distancing behaviour: avoidance of physical contact and related determinants among South Africans: twelve days into the COVID-19 lockdown
Social distancing behaviour is a primary preventive measure for reducing COVID-19 transmission. Improved understanding of factors associated with adhe....
Pregnancy and HIV risk behaviours: evidence from four national surveys in South Africa, 2005-2017
Acquisition of HIV among pregnant women has widespread public health implications. Despite improved maternal and child health outcomes including preve....