Countries under different socio-economic contexts

Fertility behaviour

Age at marriage

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Although sexual and reproductive health practices among young people are well documented, little is known about the factors that affect their decisions to use contraception. This is of paramount importance particularly in KwaZulu-Natal for two reasons: 1) the increasing number of teenage unplanned pregnancies in KwaZulu-Natal and 2) the inherent implication that unprotected sex can result in the transmission of diseases like sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS. Additionally, the sexual risk-taking and reproductive health behaviour of young people in KwaZulu-Natal is of extreme interest to researchers and program implementers, particularly since KwaZulu-Natal is the worst HIV affected region in South Africa (World Aids Conference XID, 1999). The aim of this study is to investigate sexual and reproductive health practices and dynamics among males and females between the ages 14 and 22 years in two areas in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Metropolitan Durban and the magisterial district of Mtuzini. It explores a selection of the factors that affect contraceptive use among young people. These include age, race, sex, geographic location, relationship status and perceived risk. The study includes a rural-urban comparison, using focus group discussions and structured interviews from a pre-existing data set. Results were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The method of triangulation was adopted as this offered a more holistic approach to the analysis of both the qualitative and quantitative components of this study. The quantitative analysis was conducted using univariate frequencies, bivariate cross tabulations and multivariate logistic regression. The major [mdings of this study were that there is a strong correlation between contraceptive use and relationship status, age and sex of respondent and geographic location: (i) Both men and women in a steady relationship were more likely to use contraception, with a greater prevalence among those young adults who had previously given birth or fathered a child. (ii) respondents in the 20-22 year old age category exhibited the highest occurrence of safe sex practices, (iii) young women viewed contraception more positively than young men; particularly as a means to avoid or delay pregnancy, (iv) knowledge about contraception, its use and source of supply among both men and women between the ages 14 and 22 years is universal, with almost all having heard of at least one modem method of contraception. However, young people living in urban areas displayed a greater knowledge of the different contraceptive methods, than their rural counterparts. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The epidemics of poverty and HIV/ AIDS, whether individually or when combined, pose major threats to development both in South Africa and elsewhere in the world. However, it is when these epidemics coexist that major devastation occurs. As such exploration of the relationship between these two epidemics has been the focal point of most research on either poverty or HIV/ AIDS. Through mainly the use of literature based research, studies have indicated how poverty and disease, most specifically HIV/ AIDS are related. Since most of these studies have been literature based, this has resulted in a lack of sufficient empirical evidence arguing for the existence of this poverty-HIV/ AIDS cycle. Providing such evidence forms the main objective of this study. This study uses data collected by the 1998 South African Demographic and Health Survey as well as existing literature on the link between poverty and disease. For purposes of this study, analysis is restricted to women in their reproductive ages (15-49) . The results indicate an increased risk of HIV infection among the poor due to poverty related characteristics of low education and low knowledge of the means of avoiding HIV infection as opposed to the non-p oor. Moreover the poor and the less educated people were found to be more likely to not use condoms than the non-poor. The results do not , however, provide reasons for these relations and as such further research is required. One possible explanation was financial dependence on their partners as it was found that women who received money from their partners as well as tho se who came from households where hunger was a common phenomenon were more likely to not use condoms because their partners disliked condoms than those who didn't receive any money from their partners. The results also hinted on the intricacy of the poverty-HIV/ AIDS relation whereby it was not only low socia-economic status that increased susceptibility to HIV infection but also high socio-economic status. This was indicated by the high odds of non-use of condoms due to low perceived risk of HIV infection among the non-poor and the White population (a race with the minority poor people). These results also hint at the prevailing stigmatization of HIV/ AIDS as a disease of the poor despite efforts by prevention programmes to destigrnatize this disease. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal,Durban, 2005.

Child nutrition has become a well accepted marker of a population's health. Consequently, in the past decades it has been common for health surveys to collect anthropometric measurements of children. Cross sectional data including that of demographic health surveys, therefore, provides a framework for analysis of progress in health of children in the developing world. Using data from the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Surveys (ZDHS) of 1988, 1994 and 1999, this dissertation describes the levels, patterns of distribution, and the changes in determinants of child malnutrition in Zimbabwe between 1988 and 1999. The study employed complimentary methodology by using both the quantitative as well as the qualitative data. Standardized anthropometric measures (weight and height/length of children 3-35 months) from ZDHS were converted into the three indices (weight-for-age, weight-for-height, and height-for-age) to measure patterns of child malnutrition using the Epi-Info software. In addition, the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and regression models in the three cross-sectional data sets. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the effects of independent variables for child malnutrition in the year 1988, 1994 and 1999. The qualitative methodology was used to compliment and fill the gaps from the quantitative data. Focus group discussion indepth interviews were held with community stakeholders in two regions in Zimbabwe. It was observed that malnutrition patterns in Zimbabwe has slightly decreased between 1988 and 1994 before rising again in 1999 based on the current World Health Organization (WHO) standard. Stunting and underweight are more significant forms of malnutrition in Zimbabwe in all the survey years. The education of mothers, child age, had highly significant effects on the nutritional status of children, while other independent variable had varying significance over the years. Factors such as child's age, mother's education, and sources of water, and toilet facilities are important in explaining child malnutrition in Zimbabwe over the past years. The analysis of anthropometric data from demographic health surveys contributes a useful approach to evaluate and inform child health policy and interventions in the developing countries. The results also demonstrates how the second round and third round assessment of Demographic Health Survey anthropometry can add some advantages of longitudinal measurement to the cross sectional datasets. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Labour migration from Mozambique to South Africa is a historical process in Southern African region that dates from the 18th century. However, its formalisation and regulation took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, becoming a part of the Southern African labour market system. Within this labour market system Mozambique is one of the longstanding suppliers, with relatively consistent numbers of contract migrants for the South African mines. In the last two decades the number of contract migrant labourers for the mining industry in South Africa has declined. In contrast, there has been an increase in undocumented migrants from Mozambique to South Africa. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the dynamics of undocumented labour migration to South Africa. The undocumented migrants are mostly male youths from rural areas of southern Mozambique who are pushed by poverty and lack of employment conditions. They enter into the South Africa pulled by a demand for cheap unskilled labour, and they work mainly in the agriculture, construction, informal trade and domestic sector. Their aim is to send or carry back home remittances in cash or kind. However, the presence of undocumented Mozambican immigrants, as well as those from other parts of Southern Africa, has given cause for concern. There is social pressure in South Africa, where in some circles the undocumented migrants are seen as taking jobs from locals, which leads to xenophobic attitudes. The South African government has been forced to adopt restrictive measures, including the repatriation or deportation of undocumented immigrants. Notwithstanding the undocumented migration from Mozambique continues to increase. Findings from the fieldwork in Mozambique and South Africa, obtained through both quantitative and qualitative approaches, confirmed that the undocumented Mozambican labour migration to South Africa was a self-sustaining process through social networks, which helped in the process of adjustment and also allowed migrants to make multiple entries into South Africa. The study concludes that stopping undocumented migration requires the creation of job opportunities in migrant sending areas, particularly in the rural areas, so that people can be employed locally, reducing their dependency on migrant labour. In addition, policies are required that encourage migrants to organize in order to be involved productively in development projects of their communities. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

This work aimed at achieving two objectives; estimating unmet need for contraception and analysing socio-economic factors that are associated with unmet need for contraception in Mozambique. The 1997 Mozambique DHS data were used for this study. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were applied. The results show that in Mozambique, despite considerable knowledge about modern methods of contraception, unmet need is 29.4 per cent. The estimate among married women is 31.1 percent while among unmarried women is 25.2 percent. Unmet need for contraception is also found to be higher for spacing rather than for limiting purposes. Variables like desired number of children, number of living children and age of women are significant variables for both unmet need for spacing and for limiting. Variables like number of dead children, place of residence and woman's occupation are significant among women who have unmet need for limiting purposes, while for spacing are more in religion. In order to address the issue of unmet need for contraception, planners and other interested parties should aim at the strategies and policies that reach those women who have unmet need for contraception especially women who are living in rural areas, women aged 20-29 and those who are working. In addition, women and their partners must reduce the negative factors that impede the use of contraception if they want to space or to limit their family size. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005

The European Union has become a region of intense immigration and the movements of third country nationals from outside or within the territory of the Member States has jumped to the top of ECIEU political agenda. Important ECIEU measures have been adopted concernmg the most important aspects in the area of immigration since the late eighties. The movements of third country nationals have nonetheless been regulated by EC law, although incidentally, since the origin of the Communities. The analysis covers fifty years of Community immigration history and it studies the changes in the immigration movements themselves and, in particular, of their regulation under ECIEU law. The research focuses on the factors that have contributed and that are shaping the emerging European immigration policy in order to evaluate the real impact of old and, especially, new rules on racial and ethnic minority groups and women. An EU integrated policy covenng all aspects related to third country nationals does not exist but very important steps, consolidated in the Amsterdam Treaty, have been taken over the last decade (1989/1999). The strategy to adopt at EU level is not very clear or coherent due to the complexity of the area itself and because of the different approaches of the EU Institutions on the answer to give to immigration issues. It has been demonstrated that although some gaps remain in the labyrinth of ECIEU immigration rules, the main trend, imposed principally by the Member States, is towards the creation of a White Fortress Europe.