Shane A Norris
Biographic Data
| ID | 5207980 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Shane A Norris |
| GIVEN NAMES | Shane A |
| FAMILY NAME | Norris |
| SIGNATURE | NORRIS S A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of the Witwatersrand |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 42 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 42 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Antibiotic overuse as a modifiable early-life risk factor for non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa
Early-life antibiotic overuse is a public health concern. In low- and middle-income countries, consumption has surged by 76% since 2000. This trend is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where antimicrobial resistance contributes to 255,000 deaths annually and infant antibiotic exposure is widespread in the first two years of life. While a substantial body of research associates antibiotic-induced microbiome disruption with metabolic …
Perceptions of preconception health messaging and responsibility
Premised on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease theory and on the limited effectiveness of antenatal interventions, interventions in the preconception period are being conducted to potentially improve intergenerational health and non-communicable disease burdens. The Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) is an international health research consortium primarily investigating the intergenerational effects of behavioural intervent…
The role of defensive functioning in positive deviance in psychological wellbeing amongst young women living in Soweto, South Africa
This qualitative study explored how mature defence mechanisms support positive deviance in health and wellbeing among young women facing adversity in Soweto, South Africa. Drawing from the Bukhali randomized controlled trial in Soweto, which targets improved health trajectories for young women, this study focused on a group of participants who exhibited positive deviance in the trial by being employed or studying, engaging actively in the trial, …
Food insecurity and coping strategies associate with higher risk of anxiety and depression among South African households with children
Objective: To investigate food insecurity and related coping strategies, and their associations with the risk of anxiety and depression, among South African households with children. Design: Nationally representative cross-sectional study. Tools for assessing food insecurity, coping strategies, risk of anxiety and depression were assessed from the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project, Coping Strategies Index, Generalised Anxiety Diso…
Maternal perceptions of infant's body weight and childhood obesity in South Africa
From a socio‐anthropological study focusing on maternal body weight perceptions and dietary practices towards infants living in Soweto (South Africa), we studied how lay sociocultural traits may lead to early childhood obesity. Most mothers tended to socially value and normalize fatness. This propensity led mothers, particularly older women at home, to adopt high‐calorie feeding practices towards infants, although some mothers tended to question …
What values drive communities’ nutrition priorities in a resource constrained urban area in South Africa
Our study demonstrates how public engagement can facilitate the incorporation of community values and programmatic preferences into nutrition priority setting, enabling a responsive approach to local community needs, especially in resource constrained contexts. Findings could guide policy makers to facilitate more appropriate decisions and to improve nutrition in the first 1000 days of life
Food insecurity and coping strategies and their association with anxiety and depression
Objective: To investigate food insecurity and related coping strategies among South African households and their associations with anxiety and depression. Design: Cross-sectional study. Food insecurity and coping strategies were assessed using a modified Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project and the Coping Strategies Index questionnaires. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were used to assess anxiety…
Nutrition in adolescent growth and development
Implementation of Healthy Conversation Skills to support behaviour change in the Bukhali trial in Soweto, South Africa
Background: To address the need for preconception health interventions in low- and middle-income countries, the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) was launched in Soweto, South Africa to optimise young women's physical and mental health to establish healthier trajectories for themselves and, where relevant, the next generation. As part of HeLTI trial, the Bukhali intervention utilises the Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) approach to pr…
Effectiveness of a complex, pre-conception intervention to reduce the risk of diabetes by reducing adiposity in young adults in Malaysia
Background: Pre-conception interventions have the potential to lower non-communicable disease risk in prospective parents and reduce transmission of risk factors such as obesity to the next generation. The Jom Mama project in Malaysia investigated the effectiveness of a combined behaviour change communication and e-health intervention in young married couples prior to first pregnancy. This paper reports the evaluation of the effectiveness of this…
Recovery of children following hospitalisation for complicated severe acute malnutrition
Nutritional recovery and hospital readmission following inpatient management of complicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are poorly characterised. We aimed to ascertain patterns and factors associated with hospital readmission, nutritional recovery and morbidity, in children discharged from hospital following management of complicated SAM in Zambia and Zimbabwe over 52-weeks posthospitalization. Multivariable Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard m…
Community perspectives on maternal and child health during nutrition and economic transition in sub-Saharan Africa
Objective: To explore community perceptions on maternal and child nutrition issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Design: Thirty focus groups with men and women from three communities facilitated by local researchers. Setting: One urban (Soweto, South Africa) and two rural settings (Navrongo, Ghana and Nanoro, Burkina Faso) at different stages of economic transition. Participants: Two hundred thirty-seven men and women aged 18–55 years, mostly subsistenc…
Assessing sugar-sweetened beverage intakes, added sugar intakes and BMI before and after the implementation of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax in South Africa
Objective: To provide insight into the context and public health implications of the South African sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax (Health Promotion Levy; HPL) by describing SSB and added sugar intakes, as well as BMI, 1 year prior to, at the time of and 1 year after implementation of the HPL. Design: Longitudinal dietary intake was assessed using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) and BMI was measured via anthropometry. Settin…
Age and gender influence healthy eating and physical activity behaviours in South African adolescents and their caregivers
Objective: To: (i) understand facilitators and barriers to healthy eating practices and physical activity in younger and older urban adolescent South African boys and girls; and (ii) understand how the views of caregivers interact with, and influence, adolescent behaviours. Design: Semi-structured focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted in July 2018. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Setting: Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Par…
Double-duty solutions for optimising maternal and child nutrition in urban South Africa
Objective: To obtain a community perspective on key nutrition-specific problems and solutions for mothers and children. Design: A qualitative study comprising nine focus group discussions (FGD) following a semi-structured interview guide. Setting: The township of Soweto in South Africa with a rising prevalence of double burden of malnutrition. Participants: Men and women aged ≥18 years ( n 66). Three FGD held with men, six with women. Results: De…
Maternal perspectives on infant feeding practices in Soweto, South Africa
Objective: To (i) describe the infant feeding practices of South African women living in Soweto and (ii) understand from the mothers’ perspective what influences feeding practices. Design: Semi-structured focus group discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Setting: Soweto, South Africa. Participants: Nineteen mothers were stratified into three FGD according to their baby’s ag…
Food insecurity, diet quality and body composition
Objective: To determine whether food security, diet diversity and diet quality are associated with anthropometric measurements and body composition among women of reproductive age. The association between food security and anaemia prevalence was also tested. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) study. Food security and dietary data were collected by an interviewer-administered qu…
Attitudes and perceptions among urban South Africans towards sugar-sweetened beverages and taxation
Objective: A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) was introduced in South Africa in April 2018. Our objective was to document perceptions and attitudes among urban South Africans living in Soweto on factors that contribute to their SSB intake and on South Africa’s use of a tax to reduce SSB consumption. Design: We conducted six focus group discussions using a semi-structured guide. Setting: The study was conducted in Soweto, Johannesburg, South…
I’d say I’m fat, I’m not obese’
Objective: In the past decade, South Africa’s obesity epidemic has increased in both children and adults, and being overweight is becoming the norm. Several contributing factors lead to the normalisation of obesity. One of these is the culturally entrenched likeness of larger body sizes or shapes within a milieu of easily accessible unhealthy food and beverages. This qualitative study advances knowledge about the influence of socio-cultural norms…
Gender norms and health
Cross-sectional associations of physical activity and gross motor proficiency with adiposity in South African children of pre-school age
Objective The study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity, gross motor skills and adiposity in South African children of pre-school age. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting High-income urban, and low-income urban and rural settings in South Africa. Participants Children (3–6 years old, n 268) were recruited from urban high-income ( n 46), urban low-income ( n 91) and rural low-income ( n 122) settings. Height and weigh…
Estimating the pathways through which maternal education affects stunting
Objective To estimate the determinants of stunting using rich data from a birth cohort study from urban South Africa and to examine the various mechanisms, both proximate and distal, through which maternal education affects stunting. Design Multivariate regression analysis using birth cohort data, where the outcome variable was stunting at age 2 years, and multiple mediator analysis to identify pathways from maternal education to stunting. Settin…
Non-communicable disease syndemics
Perceptions of diet, physical activity, and obesity-related health among black daughter-mother pairs in Soweto, South Africa
Daughters and mothers shared some similar perceptions of diet, physical activity, and health that were rooted in their daily life in Soweto. However, mothers generally reported being more likely to exhibit healthy eating and physical activity behaviors despite being obese. The mothers may have adopted these perceptions and behaviors later in life linked to ageing and ill-health. It is possible that through exposure, their daughters have assimilat…
Perspectives on intimate relationships among young people in rural South Africa
This paper explores how young people in rural South Africa understand gender, dating, sexuality and risk-taking in adolescence. The empirical material drawn upon consists of 20 interviews with young men and women (aged 18-19) and reflects normative gender patterns characterised by compulsory heterosexuality and dating as obligatory, and representing key symbols of normality. However, different meanings of heterosexual relationships are articulate…
Effect of ethnicity and sex on the growth of the axial and appendicular skeleton of children living in a developing country
Bones in the axial and appendicular skeletons exhibit heterogeneous growth patterns between different ethnic and sex groups. However, the influence of this differential growth on the expression of bone mineral content is not yet established. The aims of the present study were to investigate: 1) whether there are ethnic and sex differences in axial and appendicular dimensions of South African children; and 2) whether regional segment length is a b…
Collecting Health Research Data
Mobile phone-assisted personal interviewing (MPAPI) is becoming a more widely used technique to collect survey data. Not having a hard copy paper document to return to when cleaning data raises the question of how data error rates compare with traditional paper surveys and at what cost. One hundred health research interviewers trained to use traditional pen-and-paper (PAP) survey methodology were recruited and randomly assigned to either a PAP or…
Effect of ethnicity and sex on the growth of the axial and appendicular skeleton of children living in a developing country
Bones in the axial and appendicular skeletons exhibit heterogeneous growth patterns between different ethnic and sex groups. However, the influence of this differential growth on the expression of bone mineral content is not yet established. The aims of the present study were to investigate: 1) whether there are ethnic and sex differences in axial and appendicular dimensions of South African children; and 2) whether regional segment length is a b…
Energy, macro- and micronutrient intake among a true longitudinal group of South African adolescents at two interceptions (2000 and 2003)
Objective This study reports on the energy, macro- and micronutrient intakes of a true longitudinal group of 143 urban black South African children from the Birth-to-Twenty (Bt20) study at two interceptions (2000 and 2003) when they were 10 and 13 years old, respectively. Methods Subjects resided in the urban Johannesburg/Soweto area of the Gauteng Province in South Africa. Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food-frequency ques…
Variety and total number of food items recorded by a true longitudinal group of urban black South African children at five interceptions between 1995 and 2003
Objective To report on the variety and total number of food items recorded by a true longitudinal group of urban black South African children ( n = 143) from the Birth-to-Twenty Study at five interceptions at the ages of 5 (1995), 7 (1997), 9 (1999), 10 (2000) and 13 (2003) years, respectively. Methods Dietary intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Frequencies were calculated per week, for each interception an…
A comparison of the socio-economic determinants of growth retardation in South African and Filipino infants
Objective To examine the association between household socio-economic status (SES) at birth and poor infant growth such as small for gestational age (SGA) and stunting across two different socio-cultural settings: South Africa and the Philippines. Design Data were from two longitudinal birth cohorts, the Birth to Twenty (Bt20) study in South Africa and the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS) in the Philippines. Subjects Bt20 inf…
Patterns of Residential Mobility Amongst Children in Greater Johannesburg–Soweto, South Africa
Frequent residential movement challenges children to adapt to change, amongst others, houses and neighbourhoods, friends and schools, and this may have either or both negative and positive influences on their health and well-being. However, there is currently little knowledge of the patterns of child residential mobility within South Africa’s urban environment. This paper uses address data of children in the Birth to Twenty cohort to analyse the …
Adolescents in the City
Studying a Population Undergoing Nutrition Transition
The South African Medical Research Council food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and protocol was used to determine food intake in 83 adolescents from the Birth To Twenty study. The FFQ was piloted on a small group (n=8). Specific problems which resulted in overestimation of energy intake were identified. The protocol was modified and administered to the remainder of the adolescents and their caregivers. Reasonable energy intakes were obtained, and …
Factors influencing the vitamin D status of 10-year-old urban South African children
Objective Assessment of vitamin D status in a cohort of healthy 10-year-old urban children and the factors that influence vitamin D status in these children. Design A cross-sectional study. Blood samples were collected across four seasons of the year for the biochemical determination of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Anthropometric measurements (height and weight), BMI and total fat and lean mass (determined by the dual energy X-ray absorpt…
Predictors of adolescent weight status and central obesity in rural South Africa
Objective To investigate predictors of adolescent obesity in rural South Africa. Design Cross-sectional study. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured using standard procedures. Overweight and obesity in adolescents aged 10–17 years were assessed using the International Obesity Taskforce cut-offs, while the WHO adult cut-offs were used for participants aged 18–20 years. Waist-to-height ratio of >0·5 defined central obesity in those a…
Associations Between Household and Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Status and Systolic Blood Pressure Among Urban South African Adolescents
Factors resulting in high risk for cardiovascular disease have been well studied in high income countries, but have been less well researched in low/middle income countries. This is despite robust theoretical evidence of environmental transitions in such countries which could result in biological adaptations that lead to increased hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk. Data from the South African Birth to Twenty cohort, Bone Health sub-sam…
Associations of linear growth and relative weight gain during early life with adult health and human capital in countries of low and middle income
Maternal Height and Child Growth Patterns
OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between maternal height and child growth during 4 developmental periods: intrauterine, birth to age 2 years, age 2 years to mid-childhood (MC), and MC to adulthood. STUDY DESIGN: Pooled analysis of maternal height and offspring growth using 7630 mother-child pairs from 5 birth cohorts (Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa). We used conditional height measures that control for collinearity …
Investigation into longitudinal dietary behaviours and household socio-economic indicators and their association with BMI Z -score and fat mass in South African adolescents
Objective The present study aimed to assess the relationship between dietary habits, change in socio-economic status and BMI Z -score and fat mass in a cohort of South African adolescents. Design In the longitudinal study, data were collected at ages 13, 15 and 17 years on a birth cohort who have been followed since 1990. Black participants with complete dietary habits data (breakfast consumption during the week and at weekends, snacking while wa…
We eat together; today she buys, tomorrow I will buy the food’
Objective To explore if and how female adolescents engage in shared eating and joint food choices with best friends within the context of living in urban Soweto, South Africa. Design A qualitative, exploratory, multiple case study was conducted using semi-structured duo interviews of best friend pairs to ascertain their eating patterns, friendship and social interactions around dietary habits. Setting Participants were recruited from three high s…
Dietary intake and body composition in HIV-positive and -negative South African women
Objective The present paper examines dietary intake and body composition in antiretroviral (ARV)-naïve HIV-positive compared with HIV-negative South African women, as well as the impact of disease severity on these variables. Design Baseline data from a longitudinal study assessing bone health in HIV-negative and HIV-positive premenopausal South African women over 18 years of age were used. Anthropometry and body composition, measured by dual ene…
Collecting Health Research Data
Mobile phone-assisted personal interviewing (MPAPI) is becoming a more widely used technique to collect survey data. Not having a hard copy paper document to return to when cleaning data raises the question of how data error rates compare with traditional paper surveys and at what cost. One hundred health research interviewers trained to use traditional pen-and-paper (PAP) survey methodology were recruited and randomly assigned to either a PAP or…
Socio-economic influences on anthropometric status in urban South African adolescents
Objective To investigate the associations of household and neighbourhood socio-economic position (SEP) with indicators of both under- and overnutrition in adolescents and to explore sex differences. Design Analysis of anthropometric, household and neighbourhood SEP data from the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort born in 1990. Anthropometric outcomes were BMI (thinness, overweight and obesity) and percentage body fat (%BF; low, high). Associations betwe…
Perceptions of diet, physical activity, and obesity-related health among black daughter-mother pairs in Soweto, South Africa
Daughters and mothers shared some similar perceptions of diet, physical activity, and health that were rooted in their daily life in Soweto. However, mothers generally reported being more likely to exhibit healthy eating and physical activity behaviors despite being obese. The mothers may have adopted these perceptions and behaviors later in life linked to ageing and ill-health. It is possible that through exposure, their daughters have assimilat…
Perspectives on intimate relationships among young people in rural South Africa
This paper explores how young people in rural South Africa understand gender, dating, sexuality and risk-taking in adolescence. The empirical material drawn upon consists of 20 interviews with young men and women (aged 18-19) and reflects normative gender patterns characterised by compulsory heterosexuality and dating as obligatory, and representing key symbols of normality. However, different meanings of heterosexual relationships are articulate…
Non-communicable disease syndemics
Estimating the pathways through which maternal education affects stunting
Objective To estimate the determinants of stunting using rich data from a birth cohort study from urban South Africa and to examine the various mechanisms, both proximate and distal, through which maternal education affects stunting. Design Multivariate regression analysis using birth cohort data, where the outcome variable was stunting at age 2 years, and multiple mediator analysis to identify pathways from maternal education to stunting. Settin…
Gender norms and health
Cross-sectional associations of physical activity and gross motor proficiency with adiposity in South African children of pre-school age
Objective The study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity, gross motor skills and adiposity in South African children of pre-school age. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting High-income urban, and low-income urban and rural settings in South Africa. Participants Children (3–6 years old, n 268) were recruited from urban high-income ( n 46), urban low-income ( n 91) and rural low-income ( n 122) settings. Height and weigh…
Attitudes and perceptions among urban South Africans towards sugar-sweetened beverages and taxation
Objective: A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) was introduced in South Africa in April 2018. Our objective was to document perceptions and attitudes among urban South Africans living in Soweto on factors that contribute to their SSB intake and on South Africa’s use of a tax to reduce SSB consumption. Design: We conducted six focus group discussions using a semi-structured guide. Setting: The study was conducted in Soweto, Johannesburg, South…
I’d say I’m fat, I’m not obese’
Objective: In the past decade, South Africa’s obesity epidemic has increased in both children and adults, and being overweight is becoming the norm. Several contributing factors lead to the normalisation of obesity. One of these is the culturally entrenched likeness of larger body sizes or shapes within a milieu of easily accessible unhealthy food and beverages. This qualitative study advances knowledge about the influence of socio-cultural norms…
Medicine (37 works) · Environmental health (25 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (20 works) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (18 works) · Demography (17 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Geography (13 works) · Obesity (13 works) · Psychology (13 works) · Demography (12 works)