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Centre for Communication, Media and Society

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Browsing Centre for Communication, Media and Society by Subject "Adolescent girls and young women."

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    Exploring adolescent girls and young women’s oral PrEP readiness from a school based’ perspective in Vulindlela, KZN.
    (2019) Bokolo, Simamkele.; Govender, Eliza Melissa.
    Over the past decades, great strides have been made globally in reducing the incidence of new HIV infections. Despite significant breakthroughs in HIV prevention, certain segments of the population continue to experience a rise in new infections. In particular, adolescent girls and young women continue to bear a disproportionate burden of new HIV infections across the world, including South Africa. It is in this context that Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Oral PrEP) was introduced as an alternative intervention for the prevention of new infections among individuals at high risk of HIV acquisition. A range of studies have attested to the effectiveness of oral PrEP when used properly alongside other HIV prevention strategies. While its effec-tiveness has been confirmed scientifically, there is limited academic knowledge of the percep-tions of the individuals and structures in the community that would support and facilitate the adoption of Oral PrEP amongst adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). This study sought to understand the role of schools as a community structure in preparing AGYW for Oral PrEP uptake in Vulindlela, a community bearing the greatest burden of HIV infections in rural KZN. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers and school heads in six schools in Vulindlela. A purposive sampling method was used to identify the Life Orientation teachers and senior staff members that were interviewed in the study. The Health Belief Model and the Culture-Centred Approach were used to obtain a detailed under-standing of the topic under study. The results showed that teachers were aware of the HIV risks facing young women in their schools, but had limited knowledge about Oral PrEP and how it works. Generally there were reservations about the distribution and use of Oral PrEP among learners, owing to concerns around increased sexual risk behaviour and promiscuity. The De-partment of Education's stance on HIV prevention in schools was also found to be a barrier to positioning schools as an environment that is conducive for the introduction of Oral PrEP. In order to realise the full potential of Oral PrEP, the cultural barriers in the community should be addressed as these have the potential to hinder or facilitate the uptake of this critical intervention. Community structures such as schools and health centres should be engaged with a view to creating an enabling environment for the uptake of Oral PrEP by school-going girls.
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    The role of community leaders in the effective implementation of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis in Vulindlela, KwaZulu-Natal.
    (2019) Fadane, Noluthando Precious Nomalungisa.; Govender, Eliza Melissa.
    Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a great stride in the HIV prevention field, particularly for the vulnerable populations including adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15-24 years who are the hardest hit group with high HIV infection rates due to structural and cultural factors. This study sought to investigate the role that community leaders, as key opinion leaders and gatekeepers, play in the effective implementation of oral PrEP. The SEMCHB was used as the theoretical framework that underpinned the study, further exploring Health Belief Model at individual level of the SEMCHB and CCA at community level of the framework. Purposive sampling was used to select the study participants. A total of 10 participants, 6 councillors and 4 traditional leaders in Vulindlela were sampled and interviewed through the use of in-depth interviews. The data collected through the interviews was analysed thematically, identifying key themes that emerged from the research. The main findings were around the knowledge of oral PrEP in the community, the perceived benefits and barriers of oral PrEP, and the extent to which community leaders were willing to support and promote the implementation of oral PrEP for young women in the community. These findings support the need to empower community leaders with knowledge about oral PrEP so they can play an effective role in the implementation of oral PrEP.
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    Understanding user profiles for oral PrEP uptake: a qualitative study with adolescent girls, young women and men in Vulindlela, South Africa.
    (2017) Ndzinisa, Nqobile Thobile.; Govender, Eliza Melissa.
    HIV and Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have become a global public health problem. About 36.7 million people were living with HIV in 2016 and Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 19.4 million of those living with HIV. Women account for 59% of those living with HIV in the Sub-Saharan region. While HIV affects both men and women in South Africa, 60% of new infections in the country occur among young women. New prevention methods including prevention of mother-to child-transmission (PMTCT) and voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) have shown tremendous promise. Yet, women, especially young women, have not maximally benefited from these interventions because they are not women-initiated. Thus, oral PrEP has the potential to reduce HIV transmission among adolescent girls and young women as it holds great promise as a female-initiated method in the prevention of HIV. Drawing on the concepts of the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Social Ecology Model for Communication and Health Behaviour (SEMCHB) to understand user profiles for oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among high- risk adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15 -25 years and men who are likely to benefit from the use of oral PrEP as a new Human Immuno Virus (HIV) prevention method in Vulindlela, South Africa. In this qualitative study, three focus group discussions were held with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15- 25 years and men aged 25-35 in Vulindlela, South Africa to understand perceptions of risk among this key population. Further, in-depth interviews were held with the HIV testing and counseling counselor and the clinic nurse to understand how perceptions of health providers may influence the acceptability of oral PrEP among AGYW. Data were analysed using the constructs of the HBM and the SEMCHB. Thematic analysis was used to develop sub-themes that emerged from the data collected. Key findings in this study revealed that perception of risk was high among participants. However, perceived susceptibility and perceived severity was low. Further, there was a lack of knowledge about oral PrEP, which contributed to negative perceptions about this new HIV prevention method.