This qualitative exploratory study explored adolescents’ perceptions of the HIV youth friendly centre at a hospital in Lesotho in order to improve adolescent-friendly health care services in Lesotho. Data was obtained through interviewing nine purposively selected adolescents aged 18–19 years who accessed health care services at the centre, and was analysed using an adapted version of Colaizzi’s seven-step thematic analysis. Six themes emerged from this study: attributes experienced during adolescents’ visits to health care facilities, adolescents’ perceptions of the health care facility, waiting times, facts related to HIV pre-test counselling, description of services available for adolescents’ health, and challenges faced by adolescents in relation to their HIV positive status. The adolescents explained the factors that encouraged them to be tested, and to commit to HIV management and treatment. The findings showed that it is important to reserve a dedicated space for adolescents, to provide comprehensive health services at one site, to ensure adolescents’ privacy and confidentiality, to indicate patient flow clearly, to indicate the service offering clearly, to offer flexible operating hours and days, to involve youth in the service provision, to keep queues short, and to establish peer support groups. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Adherence to long-term medications has remained a problem among adolescents worldwide. Antiretroviral therapy adherence is a wide-reaching challenge among HIV positive adolescents. The aim of this study is to explore and describe poor ART adherence among HIV positive adolescents in Maseru: influential factors and the need of social work support. Qualitative approach was used, following an explorative, descriptive and contextual research design. The research was conducted at BCMCOE Lesotho. Data was collected by using semi-structured in-depth interviews and purposive sampling was applied to select a sample of adolescents who are HIV positive and who have poor adherence to ART. Data was analysed according to the framework provided by Tesch (in Creswell 2003). Guba’s model (in Krefting 1991) was employed for data verification. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations were made about factors influencing adherence of adolescents to ART and support needed from social workers. / Social Work / M.A.(S.S.)