Explore publications.

HIV/AIDS remains a critical public health challenge in South Africa, particularly among young women who are disproportionately affected. Comprehensive knowledge and appropriate behavioural responses are essential for preventing transmission and managing the disease. To determine comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS, STI’s as well as the sexual behaviour among young women aged 18 – 24 years in Tshwane Sub district 1, Gauteng province, South Africa. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tshwane District, Gauteng province. The self-administered questionnaire was completed by 400 young women from four health care facilities rendering youth-friendly services. They indicated high knowledge scores for HIV/AIDS, STI’s and sexual behaviour, although most young people had risky sexual practices towards HIV/AIDS and that there were misconceptions about prevention and transmission methods of HIV. Despite high knowledge on STI’s, 27% of the participants self-reported to have had STIs. While most young women in Tshwane possess good knowledge of HIV/AIDS, a considerable proportion still engage in behaviours that increase their risk of infection. This disconnects between knowledge and practice highlights the need for more targeted interventions that not only educate but also empower young women to make safer sexual health choices. Comprehensive strategies addressing both knowledge and socioeconomic barriers are essential for reducing HIV transmission in this vulnerable population.

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is recognised as a fundamental human right in South Africa.  The study explores the underlying reasons and motivations for service hesitancy among youth in Mutale Village, even when they are aware that those services are available.  This study analyses the knowledge, perceptions and experiences of young people in Mutale Village, Thulamela Municipality. Utilising a mixed-method approach, the study employed both snowball and purposive sampling to gather data from 126 participants via semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Qualitative data underwent thematic analysis while quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statics via SPSS version 19.0. key findings reveal young people encounter numerous challenges accessing SRH services due to minimal awareness of available options. Service use is significantly hampered by prevailing social norms, religious beliefs that view SRG as improper for youth, and misconceptions regarding contraceptives side effects (e.g. fear of infertility). Furthermore, the negative attitude of local healthcare workers was found to discourage young people from using the facilities. The concludes that social barriers and healthcare worker attitudes are major impediments to the utilisation of essential SRH services. The study recommends that clinics in rural areas should expand youth-friendly corners with trained staff who respect confidentiality and provide non-judgmental services. Regular refresher training for healthcare providers on adolescent SRH needs is essential

Despite decades of investment in HIV prevention, South Africa continues to experience high rates of new infections among youth aged 15 to 24. This integrative literature review study explores how prevention fatigue and the normalization of HIV have contributed to a growing crisis of complacency among young people, leading to emotional disengagement and declining participation in prevention efforts. Guided by social constructivism, the Health Belief Model (HBM), and the concept of prevention fatigue, the study systematically reviewed peer-reviewed literature, national policy documents, and program evaluations published between 2010 and 2024. Thematic analysis revealed three key findings: a diminished perception of HIV risk due to normalization; emotional burnout and desensitization stemming from repetitive prevention messaging; and a disconnection between traditional HIV communication strategies and the lived digital, cultural, and social realities of youth. The study argues that knowledge alone is insufficient to sustain behavior change and calls for a fundamental shift in prevention strategy design. Recommendations include the use of emotionally intelligent messaging, digital innovation, and youth-led content creation to re-energize prevention efforts. This study contributes to the discourse by reframing youth disengagement not as ignorance, but as a product of systemic oversaturation and social repositioning of HIV in the post-crisis era.

Teenage pregnancy remains a significant and multifaceted public health concern within the South African context. This public health threat has led to a disproportionate prevalence of HIV among female youth, along with increased maternal and child mortality rates. This retrospective cohort study employed birth record data from South Africa. This study utilises descriptive statistics and the Pearson Chi-Square Test of Independence to analyse the statistical differences in the prevalence of teenage pregnancy. The Global Moran’s I was employed to analyse spatial autocorrelation, and the Local Moran’s I was subsequently utilised to identify hotspots of teenage pregnancy. In the past decade, births to mothers under the age of 20 constituted 13.0% of a total of 9,609,356 births, amounting to 1,249,074 births. Teenage pregnancy rates were markedly elevated from 2014 to 2018 in comparison to the period from 2019 to 2023 (13.7% versus 12.3%, p<0.001). Late registration of teenage births occurred at a significantly higher rate (34.8%, p<0.001). The Global Moran’s I value of 0.5641 (z-score=6.29; p<0.001) demonstrates a strong and statistically significant positive spatial autocorrelation. The Local Moran’s I identified two significant High-High clusters extending from northern KwaZulu-Natal into the Eastern Cape. This study's findings highlight the necessity for a focused intervention to tackle teenage pregnancy in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, concentrating on the identified hotspots. Interventions should prioritise comprehensive sex education for youth and enhance access to contraception and family planning services. District-level health departments can utilise these findings to identify and prioritise high-risk areas. Spatial insights should guide local planning, particularly regarding outreach and mobile health services.

Teenagers' ignorance and reckless decision-making lead to poor consequences for their sexual and reproductive health. This could be exacerbated by teenagers looking for information from unreliable sources such as the internet and social media. This emphasizes the importance of communication between parents and teenagers about sexual health practices. There is an increasing number of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV among teenagers in South Africa. This study aimed to explore the measures to improve parent-teen sexual health communication in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa. This qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research was conducted using individual in-depth interviews. Purposive sampling was used to select parents who had teenagers aged 12 to 19 years. Content analysis by Tesch’s approach was used for data analysis. The research process was guided by ethical principles which were applied throughout the study. The study findings revealed four themes such as setting up a forum for parent-teen engagement at health centres, open family communication, community sexual health support structures and sexual and reproductive health education. There is a need to improve sexual reproductive health communication between parents to teenagers. The study findings revealed suggestions to improve communication for the future and this will encourage parents to communicate with their teenagers in future such as concerning sexual health. Ensuring that teenagers have access to sexual and reproductive health services contributes to fulfilling their sexual and reproductive rights, providing them with more choices to best suit their needs and empowering them.

Adolescents living with HIV and AIDS experience difficulties when they transition from pediatric clinics to adult clinics. People living with HIV and AIDS have been judged and stigmatized as promiscuous. Since adolescence is a challenging milestone with all the physical and emotional changes, adolescents become vulnerable to defaulting care and treatment at the clinic. In some health facilities, youth-friendly services are still not well implemented, despite the program being advocated for by the World Health Organization to reduce HIV. The study aimed to explore the barriers to the provision of youth-friendly services for adolescents living with HIV and AIDS in clinics in Gauteng Province, South Africa. An explorative descriptive and qualitative design was applied through in-depth interviews. Data were collected from 15 professional nurses in three clinics and analysed using the content analysis framework. The study's findings produced five themes: human resource challenges, inadequate space to provide the service, healthcare providers’ attitudes toward the provision of mixed services and an environment not conducive to the service. Healthcare providers displayed judgemental attitudes towards adolescents when they sought sexual and reproductive services at the clinics. The shortage of staff and resources hampered the provision of youth-friendly services to adolescents living with HIV and AIDS. Lack of privacy and confidentiality due to limited space in the clinics caused adolescents to default on their treatment as they are seen in the same space as adults. The study recommends a designated area for adolescents and youth separated from other clinic populations so that sexual and reproductive health topics can be discussed without fear of being identified by other people visiting the clinic. Moreover, more youth-inclusive environments in healthcare settings should be created.

Teenage pregnancy is a pressing issue in South Africa, particularly in high schools, with one reporting 19 pregnancies in the first half of the 2024 academic year. This article explores the complex factors contributing to high rates of teenage pregnancy, including poverty, the child grant system, parental influence, promiscuity, and the exploitation of young girls by adult predators. Through a comprehensive literature review and analysis of local data, the article highlights the socio-economic, cultural, and environmental drivers of teenage pregnancy. Findings indicate that economic hardship compels young girls into transactional sex or relationships with older men, while the child grant may inadvertently incentivize early pregnancies. Furthermore, cultural norms and a culture of impunity exacerbate the issue, with many pregnancies fathered by adult men who exploit vulnerable girls.The article calls for a multimodal approach to address teenage pregnancy, emphasizing poverty alleviation, parental education, community engagement, and access to comprehensive sex education and reproductive health services. By addressing these root causes, it is possible to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancies and support the empowerment and future success of young girls in South Africa. The findings highlight the urgency of coordinated efforts to provide sustainable solutions that can interrupt the cycle of poverty and early pregnancy, ensuring a healthier and a brighter future for South African youth.

In an attempt to understand the complexity of teen parents and associated consequences, the present study was conducted. It examines the connection between teen parents and family well-being in five selected Districts of Rwanda. Data were collected from 226 respondents randomly selected. Respondents included 176 teen mothers, 30 parents of teen mothers and 20 local leaders. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative data were presented in percentages while content analysis was used for qualitative data. The results revealed that teen mothers are exposed to various social and economic problems. Rejected and depressed, 61.4% of pregnant teens thought about abortion and were restricted by lack of financial means while 9% thought about suicide which affects the physical and mental health of both teens and their children. Furthermore, 80.4% of teen mothers were not given the opportunity to resume their studies after delivering which amplifies their poverty exposure and their children as well. Parents/guardians need to be supportive through good communication so as to know what their children are going through and advise them accordingly. Moreover, they should bear with them in case a pregnancy occurs so that they may not feel depressed and think of abortion or suicide. They should not chase them from home since it increases their exposure to repeated pregnancies. There is a need of sensitizing the community about strategies that can reduce teen mothers’ rates as well as appropriate action in case teens get impregnated.

Teenagers’ pregnancies constitute a major challenge which has raised the attention of writers and educational stakeholders. The phenomenon is being amplified by different push factors which make teens impregnated. The purpose of the study was to assess factors which contribute to teen pregnancies and identify mechanisms which can be used to address it.  Respondents were sampled from five Districts by considering 40 in each and 200 respondents were randomly selected. Poverty, carelessness, rape, lack of information about reproductive health, attempt to love, peer influence and lack of parental attachment in all its angles were highlighted to be the main causes of early pregnancies. There is a need of raising parents’ awareness of the importance of having quality time with their children, being closer to them in order to be able to make regular follow up on challenges they face related to their physiological changes especially at teenage age. This would help them understand what is happening in their bodies and guide them towards appropriate behavior. This would reduce the number of teens who are manipulated by adults based of teens’ ignorance.