This study seeks to describe the factors contributing to high adolescent pregnancy rate in Kinondoni Municipality, Dar-es-Salaam. Through the study we get to know the social economic characteristics of adolescents, the adolescents' general knowledge of reproductive health issues and the source of this knowledge. The major discoveries made from this study are that the educational status and knowledge of reproductive health of these adolescents is low, some are already dropouts from school, and others were deprived of the chance to continue with secondary education. They have nothing tangible to do because of their low education and coupled with their low economic status, they are at risk of being involved in sexual activities at an early age, ending in pregnancies. In addition, their parents' educational and economic status was also found to be low. It is important then, parents, teachers and the community in general to arrest the rate of adolescent pregnancies. / HEALTH STUDIES / MA (HEALTH STUDIES)

This study seeks to describe the factors contributing to high adolescent pregnancy rate in Kinondoni Municipality, Dar-es-Salaam. Through the study we get to know the social economic characteristics of adolescents, the adolescents' general knowledge of reproductive health issues and the source of this knowledge. The major discoveries made from this study are that the educational status and knowledge of reproductive health of these adolescents is low, some are already dropouts from school, and others were deprived of the chance to continue with secondary education. They have nothing tangible to do because of their low education and coupled with their low economic status, they are at risk of being involved in sexual activities at an early age, ending in pregnancies. In addition, their parents' educational and economic status was also found to be low. It is important then, parents, teachers and the community in general to arrest the rate of adolescent pregnancies. / HEALTH STUDIES / MA (HEALTH STUDIES)

Text in English / INTRODUCTION: Late in HIV epidemic while HIV program is maturing studies in rich and resource limited setting have shown controversial results with regard to whether childbearing desire and intention are changed after the expansion of ART and PMTCT services. There are few studies in Ethiopia which tried to find out fertility preferences after the decentralized ART and PMTCT services. PURPOSE: The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of fertility desire, intention and associated factors among HIV positive males and females at health facilities in Hawassa city with chronic HIV care. METHOD: The study used quantitative, observational, analytic and cross-sectional study design. It was structured on Trait-Desire-Intention-Behaviour theoretical frame work. A gender based stratification followed by random sampling method was applied. An interviewer-administered structured data collection approach using the pre-tested questionnaire was applied in the study. The Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Epi-Info version 3.5.3 were utilized for data analysis. In addition to descriptive statistics, both bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyse the data. RESULT: With a respondent rate of 93%, a total of 460 PLHIV participated in the study with equal number of males and females. The majority of the participants were from urban (85%), in relationship (70.9%), and on ART (80%). The reported fertility desire, 43.9% (45.2% in males; 42.6% in females), and fertility intention, 44.9% (46.4% in males; 43.4% in females), were high. The median number of intended children was 2. About 54% of PLHIV were using at least one of the contraceptives with 32.4% of unmet need of family planning. Participants with overall experinece of 2 births or less (AOR: 2.4 95% CI 1.32-4.32; p-value=0.0042), without birth experience after HIV diagnosis (AOR:0.52 95% CI 0.28-0.98; p-value=0.0424) and whose partner also desired for childbearing (AOR: 19.73 95%CI 10.81-35.99; p-value=0.0000) were more likely to intend for a/another child.They wished and planned to get birth because; they did not have a/children before or fear of childless stigma (25.3%), ART could help to have negative child (21.8%), importance of parenthood (17.8%) and the desire of once partner (16.8%). The study participants had consulted health care workers (34.2%), approached their partner or their partner had already approached them (27.6%), tried to get a partner or married (17.6%) and stop using family planning (6%) to get pregnant. CONCLUSION: This study highlights high fertility desire and intention in the background of high unmet need for family planning among PLHIV. A development of comprehensive male partner-involved couple counseling protocol, improving the communication HCWs have with PLHIV to emphasize safer conception methods and strengthening all the components of PMCT integrating with other SRH services at chronic HIV clinic are critical. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Text in English / The purpose of the study was to investigate the experience explore the experience of virginity testing of female adolescents in the uThungulu district of KwaZulu-Natal. A qualitative research was conducted to explore and describe the experiences of female adolescents on virginity testing. In-depth phenomenological interviews were conducted on 18 participants during data collection. Proponents of virginity testing believe that virginity testing is a traditional practice that can assist in reducing HIV infection and teenage pregnancy amongst the youth. On the other hand, opponents of virginity testing strongly believe that the practice of virginity testing interferes with human rights and Constitutional prescripts that protect the rights to equity, privacy, bodily integrity and sexual autonomy of young women. The study found that participants had only positive experiences of the practice of virginity testing and none expressed having any negative experiences. The findings also confirmed that virginity testing is being done irrespective of different opinions from different scholars and experts on the subject. Little knowledge about the Children’s Act and the Commission for Rights of Cultural and Linguistic communities was observed. / Health Studies / M.P.H.

This study identified pregnancy-related challenges encountered by student nurses at SAMHS Nursing College, with an aim of identify factors contributing to student nurses' pregnancies as well as finding ways to deal and minimize the rate of the pregnancies amongst the student nurses. Thirty (30) structured interviews were conducted with student nurses who were pregnant and those who delivered their babies during the period 2002 to 2007. It has been revealed that ignorance is the major contributing factor for student nurses' pregnancies, 63% of the pregnancies were not planned, 52% of the respondents related their pregnancies to risk taking as they engaged in unprotected sex without the use of contraceptives, and thus it was concluded that student nurses are engaging themselves in risk behaviours and also engaging in unsafe sexual practices. The study also found that student nurses face physical, social, emotional as well as academic problems during pregnancy and after the delivery of their babies. Student nurses should be encouraged to use condoms and other methods of contraception, coupled with educating them on life skills, provision of recreational facilities; provision of counseling and support services may be the tool to minimise the unplanned pregnancies. / Health Studies / (M.A.(Public Health ))

This study identified pregnancy-related challenges encountered by student nurses at SAMHS Nursing College, with an aim of identify factors contributing to student nurses' pregnancies as well as finding ways to deal and minimize the rate of the pregnancies amongst the student nurses. Thirty (30) structured interviews were conducted with student nurses who were pregnant and those who delivered their babies during the period 2002 to 2007. It has been revealed that ignorance is the major contributing factor for student nurses' pregnancies, 63% of the pregnancies were not planned, 52% of the respondents related their pregnancies to risk taking as they engaged in unprotected sex without the use of contraceptives, and thus it was concluded that student nurses are engaging themselves in risk behaviours and also engaging in unsafe sexual practices. The study also found that student nurses face physical, social, emotional as well as academic problems during pregnancy and after the delivery of their babies. Student nurses should be encouraged to use condoms and other methods of contraception, coupled with educating them on life skills, provision of recreational facilities; provision of counseling and support services may be the tool to minimise the unplanned pregnancies. / Health Studies / (M.A.(Public Health ))

Social Work / M. A. (Social Science)

Social Work / M. A. (Social Science)