The aims of this thesis were to expand the knowledge about sexual and reproductive health among urban Ugandan youths, living in a slum, and to evaluate the national flow-chart for management of the abnormal vaginal discharge (AVD) syndrome in adolescent girls. Data collection included individual interviews, focus-group discussions and clinical investigations with tests for chlamydia trachomatis (CT), neisseria gonorrhoea (NG), trichomonas vaginalis (TV), syphilis, and HIV infection. Poverty, peer pressure and gender power imbalance were obstacles to safe sexual practices: to abstain from sex, be faithful or to use condoms. Prevalence among the 199 female and 107 male adolescents for CT, NG, TV, syphilis and HIV was 4.5%, 9.0%, 8.0%, 4.0% and 15.2% for females and 4.7%, 5.7%, 0%, 2.8% and 5.8% for males. The national AVD flow-chart had a sensitivity of 61%, a specificity of 38.5% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 11.6%. A flow-chart using risk factors, rather than symptoms, implicated a sensitivity/specificity and PPV of 82.6%/47% and 17.3% respectively. Socially disadvantaged females had a high risk to be HIV infected and HIV infection was associated to other STIs. Females were more likely than males to have any of the infections studied. Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV was considered as helpful in preventing the spread of HIV. Obstacles for testing were: lack of time and money, fear of stigmatisation and fear that the knowledge of HIV positive status could shorten someone's life. An alternative flow-chart for management of AVD among adolescent girls should be evaluated. Girl's opportunities for education and income generating work should be a priority. VCT services for young people should be made accessible in terms of cost, time and quality of counselling.

This research paper is designed to introduce a sexual education programme that can be adapted for Mountain of Fire Global Ministries (MFGM), to guide the youth in their safer sexual practices in the era of HIV and AIDS. In view of this, the research paper will build upon other sexual education programmes such as S- safer practices, A- available medication, V- voluntary counseling and testing, E- empowerment through education (“SAVE”), A- abstain, B- be faithful, C- condomize (ABC) and others (INERELA+ 2008:1). Setting the stage to understand the challenge in South Africa for safer sexual practices among youth, the researcher saw it fit to conduct research in his local community of Wentworth. The intention of the research was to get a basic understanding of the HIV and AIDS prevalence among youth and the type of education they were receiving from the local organizations. The interviews conducted in the research demonstrated that there was more of an authoritarian or top-down rather than a grass roots bottom-up approach used by the organizations, which gave the impression that the type of curriculum used was obsolete. The researcher felt that addressing the need for safer sexual practices among youth would have been more effective if the approach was through dialogue. Youth may have felt insecure, believing that some of their needs, inputs or experiences could not be discussed in a top-down approach. Organizations that appeared to be condescending, as well as more superior and intellectually equipped, may have made youth feel inferior and inadequate. The outcome of this approach may have created mixed feelings between the organizations and the youth. A lack of understanding, on behalf of the educating organizations, as to what the youth really required in education on safer sexual practices and what they were experiencing personally, eventually could have led to the youth treating the education lightly. On the other hand, from a Christian education perspective, this research paper ascertained that the youth were being squeezed into a mould where safer sexual practices were not considered. Christian education strongly discourages the practice of sex outside of marriage and teaches that abstaining from sex until marriage is the only commendable way. This type of education creates a distancing and has a great impact on the lives of youth, especially those who are sexually active. Somehow if they do engage in sexual activity, they feel isolated, inferior, unaccepted and inadequate to grow spiritually. The change in their attitude and behavior results from continuous pulpit caution, instead of precaution, on how to manage safe or safer sexual practices. Christian education continues to place fear on the youth about premarital sex and the youth often feel that they are responsible for the consequences that derive from negligence. This research uncovered that Christian education adopted a top-down instead of a bottom-up approach, thus denying the youth the opportunity to express themselves with their experiences and needs when it came to safe or safer sexual practices. In view of the hierarchical approaches of some organizations and Christian education, the youth find themselves under difficult circumstances, whereby they are not given the opportunity to relieve themselves of some of the pressures they face when it comes to safe and safer sexual practices. In light of this struggle to find common ground, Paulo Freire in his book Pedagogy of the oppressed (2003:71-83) introduces some positive methods, such as dialogue, that can broker a relationship between the facilitator and the participants. In addition to this, the International Network of Religious persons with and affected by AIDS (INERELA+) has compiled a “SAVE” Toolkit (2012) that the researcher has included in the research paper, as a guide to walk alongside Freire‟s philosophy of dialogue. This will help to bridge the gap between the facilitators and the participants, and assist them in finding a common ground as they search for social transformation in the context of safer sexual practices. The interviewees mentioned in the research showed a great deal of experience and knowledge, but they were limited in the ABC method they used to educate youth on HIV and AIDS. This method did not cater for those who were beyond this stage, such as those who had contracted the virus. Since the “SAVE” Toolkit is more user friendly, incorporating both the ABC method and reproductive health for those who have contracted the virus to live a positive lifestyle, to blend it with dialogue improves its effectiveness. This proved to be an important finding in the research in terms of the hypothesis which promotes a sexual education programme for safer sexual practices among youth. This will eventually assist youth to develop mindsets that enable them to be more responsible in their sexual behavior. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

Intimate partner violence is one of the major forms of violence against women, and it contributes to the inability of women to practice safer sex. This study uses a triangulation method to explore the relationship between intimate partner violence and condom use. Secondary data was used for both the quantitative and qualitative analyses. The results from both the quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that women who report intimate partner violence are less likely to use condom. Other results from the quantitative analysis revealed that women with high socio-economic status are more likely to use condom. However, the qualitative analysis revealed that women experience intimate partner violence irrespective of their socio-economic status. Nevertheless, the two analyses revealed that a woman is less likely to use condom if her partner dislikes it. Moreover, negotiating for condom use could lead to further violence. As a result of this, there is need to target both men and women when addressing the issues of intimate partner violence and safer sex practice. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

One of the greatest and unresolved challenges that faces mankind today is HIV/AIDS and the effects that it has on people as well as society as a whole. South Africa is one of the countries worst affected by HIV/AIDS, with KwaZulu-Natal being one of the hardest hit provinces in the country. So, this pandemic is having a destructive effect on all spheres of life, and until a cure is found for this pandemic, it will continue to pose a threat to all of humankind. The aim of this study was to look at knowledge, attitudes, risk perception and condom use in two sites in KwaZulu Natal. The reason for doing this was because a study of this nature has not been done in these areas. A pre-existing dataset was used and data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The analysis was done using crosstabulations, frequencies and multivariate logistic regression. The major findings of this study are: (i) both men and women of all ages are knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS and condoms, as well as condom use; (ii) more women perceive themselves to be at risk than do men; (iii) women view condoms more positively than men; and (iv) respondents indicated knowledge and risk perception, but majority of them were not practising safer sexual behaviour. In conclusion, it was observed that knowledge about HIV/AIDS and condoms are universal, however, people perceiving themselves to be at risk are not practising safer sexual behaviours Le. they are not using condoms. / Thesis (M.Dev.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

High rates of adolescent fertility and HIV/AIDS prevalence reflect the significant levels of unprotected adolescent sexual activity in South Africa. Although knowledge and positive attitudes towards condoms are widespread, this has not translated into consistent use of the contraceptive method. This is a worrying situation since condoms are widely being promoted as the best means of dual protection. This dissertation sought to analyse the hypothesis that certain personal characteristics, knowledge and attitudes affect actual condom use. Information and results were based on data from two waves of the Transitions Study, conducted between 2000 and 2001 . Much of the analysis contained in this work was carried out by way of frequencies and cross-tabulations. Binary logistic regression was employed to determine how various factors affected actual condom use. The results of the analysis suggested that age is highly significant in affecting behaviour and this relationship becomes more pronounced with the increase in age. Older respondents, particularly females, were less likely to have used condoms at their last sexual encounter with their most recent sexual partner. Attitudes also proved to be highly significant in determining the probability of condom use. / Thesis (M.Dev.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Gender-based violence and the risk of HIV infection are some of the social problems facing women in South Africa. The emergence of gender-based violence as a prominent challenge facing the University of KwaZulu-Natal community led to the impetus for a qualitative study which focuses specifically on female UKZN residence students on Howard College Campus. A social constructionist approach was used to explore how female UKZN residence students understand and experience gender-based violence and safe sex practices. Unstructured interviews were conducted with twelve female residence students and interview texts were analysed using discourse analysis. The findings revealed the difficulties women experience in negotiating safe sex and how gender-based violence is facilitated through a system of discourses which reproduce patriarchal power relations. This research shines a light on the prevalence of gender-based violence in South Africa and the far reaching impact it has on the lives of women. The fear of gender-based violence is a continuous presence in the lives of these women and this research demonstrates how one does not have to be a victim of gender-based violence to experience the trauma and anxiety surrounding this violence. Hopefully this research will culminate in policy and interventions aimed at improving the lives of female students at UKZN. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed March 18, 2008). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-98).

Thesis (M.P.H.M.)--Mahidol University, 2000. / LICL has E-Thesis 0038 ; please contact computer services.

Thesis (M.P.H.M. (Primary Health Care Management))--Mahidol University, 2006. / LICL has E-Thesis 0011 ; please contact computer services.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed on June 10, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-103).