The School of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand established the Health and Population Division in 2002, headed by Professor Stephen Tollman. The Division has both educational and research components. The Division s main research arm - the Agincourt Health and Population Unit (AHPU) has been active in important health, demographic and health systems research since the early 1990 s. In 2002, the Agincourt Unit was recognised as a Medical Research Council/ University of the Witwatersrand Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt). This is the first and only recognized unit in Public Health. Read more.
Adult Health and Wellbeing
The dynamics of health transition are reflected in the burdens affecting rural adults. Studies are occurring in epidemiology and treatment of epilepsy as well as the health and wellbeing of ageing populations.
In rural South Africa morbidity, mortality and growth failure associated with malnutrition exist alongside female obesity and emerging cardiovascular disease. By tackling proximal issues of infant growth and nutrition, and social and emotional development in children, we aim to impact more distal outcomes including cognitive development, educational attainment, and adult metabolic disease.
This theme seeks to understand dynamics of demographic and epidemiological change in rural populations undergoing rapid and multiple transitions, and to identify the forces driving that change.
The Agincourt Unit is examining the immediate and longer term impacts of HIV/AIDS and antiretroviral therapy roll-out. This work will support provincial and national efforts and provide evidence on delivery models, coverage and individual and population impacts of ARTs.
Rural households remain under pressure. Sudden shocks, whether job loss or death of a breadwinner, can destabilise households; similarly, protracted stresses such as drought or chronic illness can undermine coping capacity and livelihoods. Key to understanding how to improve health and social development is to examine the strategies employed by households to gain livelihoods and cope with shocks and stresses.
Vice-Chancellor?s Academic Citizenship Team Award 2010 The Agincourt team was awarded the 2010 Vice-Chancellor?s Team Academic Citizenship Award. The award carries with it a grant of R40,000 which will be used by the team to further develop our teaching and academic citizenship work that was conducted in 2009. This award will be presented to the team at a function to be held between October & December 2010.
The LINC office (Learning, Information Dissemination & Networking with the Community) aims to improve local, district and provincial access to and use of research results and to add value to the research conducted in the site. Read more.
The purpose of the Data Section website is to provide information about and increase access to the health and demographic data collected by the Agincourt Health and Population Unit, namely, the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System (AHDSS). Access the data section.
