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

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

The decision to have a child is one of the most significant two people can ever make. Specifically, couple can typically plan when to begin a family, how large a family they want. Thus if a couple is planning on having a child, they have the responsibility to consider and discuss many things involved in parenting such as family planning. The main purpose of this study is to assess the extent of spousal communication about family planning by focusing on the preferences concerning family size and the desire of additional children. Drawing on the literature review; the study address the conceptual definitions and notions of spousal communication about family planning, attitudes towards family planning and desired fertility, communication and desired fertility, and economic value of children. Using data from the 2000 Rwanda demographic and health survey, the study analyzed a set of selected socio-demographics factors and its correlation with the desire of more children within married people in Rwanda. The results reveal that husbands are more likely to desire additional children compared to their wives. Women in urban areas are more likely to stop childbearing compared to those who live in rural areas and the reverse for man. However education and employment are also associated to the desire for no more children and are significant in the multivariate analysis. As expected son preference is important and affect the desire for additional children, then within any given parity, couples with one or more sons are more likely to stop childbearing compared to those who have no sons. The analysis of the impact of spousal communication about family planning shows that partner who discuss on family planning are more likely to desire no more children than their counterparts who have never discussed the issue. In order to enhance the spousal communication about family planning in Rwanda and improve attitudes towards family planning, it is proposed to promote IEC as a tool of intervention to increase the awareness of spacing and limitation of childbearing. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

A single mother is defined as a mother with one or more children, who is neither married nor living with a partner. The second demographic transition characterized by the decline of marital fertility and an increase in non-marital childbearing has led to increased numbers of single mothers in western countries (Heuveline, Timberlake and Furstenberg, 2003). A recent study of families living in greater Johannesburg and Soweto conducted by the centre for Reproductive health at Witwatersrand University reports an increase of single mothers in families of all racial groups in South Africa (Keeton, 2004). Single mothers are associated with higher levels of poverty and dependence on welfare (Fitzgerald and Ribar, 2004), which may affect the wellbeing of their children. The study introduces two theories, modernization and rationale choice theory that could be used to explain the high incidence of single mothers in South Africa. The modernization theory predicts that the increase in out-of-wedlock births is a result of modernization and westernization. On the other hand, proponents of the rational choice theory argue that premarital pregnancies are a rational decision to prove fecundity and facilitate marriage. Some authors have found an association between the rational choice theory and dependence theory, according to which poor young women exchange sexual favours for gifts to obtain financial support outside marriage (Al-Azar, 1999). While both theories inform the study and contribute to the conceptual framework, the rational choice theory is argued to be the more appropriate to explain the increase in number of single mothers in South Africa. The 2002 General Household Survey (GHS) is used to obtain the count of single mothers and a profile of their characteristics. Other surveys questionnaires have been inspected to find out whether it is possible to measure the number of single mothers in the country. The author found that, with the exception of the 1998 Demographic Household Survey (DHS), the 1996 census and one of the October household surveys (OHS), it is not possible to provide an accurate count of single mothers using South Africa's national surveys. Reasons for this limitation are provided in the paper. This study focuses on women aged between 18 and 49 years. To obtain the count of single mothers, it was first established whether a woman was a mother of a child younger than 18 years who lives with her. The next step was to establish the marital status of the woman and to find out if she had a partner living with her. In this study it is important to distinguish between de jure and de facto single mothers. A de jure single mother living with her child(ren), is unmarried and does not have a partner. De jure single mothers are compared to other types of mothers including married mothers with father present (partnered mothers), married mothers with father absent (de facto single mothers), mothers with children older than 18 years or mothers not staying with their children (other mothers) and women who do not have children (childless women). Using the 2002 GHS the paper provides the count and some key characteristics of single mothers, including social and economic characteristics of education level and employment status. These characteristics of single mothers and women are profiled at individual and household level. The results of the analysis show that the prevalence of single mothers in South Africa is high in relation to other sub-Saharan African countries. The study supports other research that there is no significant difference between marital and non-marital fertility because the proportion of de jure single mothers is almost similar to the proportion of married mothers with father present (partnered mothers). This study finds that single mothers occur in higher proportions among African/black and coloured populations and are on average younger than 25 years of age. Reasons suggested for the high incidence of single mothers include teenage pregnancy, poverty and unemployment. The groups most affected by poverty and unemployment are African/blacks and coloureds. When comparing socio-economic characteristics of de jure single mothers and other types of mothers -for instance partnered, de facto single mothers and childless women - the study findings indicate that de jure single mothers are poorer than married mothers for most of the indicators. However, there is also a group of married mothers where the father is absent (de facto single mothers) who also show poor statistics compared to partnered mothers. Partnered mothers are better off in most all the indicators used in this study. A key limitation of this study is that it is cross sectional and therefore does not account for rapid changes in distribution and characteristics of mothers. This makes it somewhat difficult to establish whether models of the modernization or rational choice can explain the high incidence of single mothers. The paper concludes with recommendations and a discussion on some of the important implications that the relatively high proportion of single mothers has for poverty levels of women in South Africa and the effect this might have on their children. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

This study investigated factors that have an influence on sexual activity and subsequent contraceptive use among school-going adolescent girls in Lesotho, focusing on the districts of Berea, Maseru and Mohale’s Hoek. The factors under investigation from a reproductive health survey included demographic variables (age, district, rural urban residence, class and religion), behavioural variables (drinking alcohol, boyfriend status), and attitude and knowledge variables (including attitude toward sex before marriage, contraceptive use before marriage, and communication with a boyfriend about sex). The methodology comprised a secondary analysis of the 1999 Adolescent Reproductive Health Survey of Lesotho. Bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression were used to establish if significant relationships existed between sexual activity and contraceptive use and the independent factors. A limitation of the study is that the survey instrument contained a limited set of indicators. Thus a number of theories of sexual decisionmaking were excluded from the conceptual framework. Prevalence of sexual activity was lower than expected. This research confirmed that the likelihood of adolescents being sexually active increases with age. A somewhat surprising result was that Catholic adolescents were more likely to become sexually active than adolescents of other religions. Adolescents who live in rural areas, as well as those with a boyfriend were also found to be more likely to become sexually active. Contraceptive use was higher for this Lesotho sample than has been reported for research from other African countries. Nevertheless, the proportion of adolescents not using contraceptives is argued to be a matter of concern. Adolescents in the lowest school class were least likely to use contraceptives, which suggests a lack of control over decisionmaking in this group. Contraceptive use was found to be lower among adolescents who were coerced into their first sexual experience. Adolescents from Mohale’s Hoek, designated the least developed area for this research, were the least likely to use contraceptives. Those adolescents who reported having a boyfriend were more likely to use contraceptives, suggesting a regular partner allows the adolescent some control over decision-making. A positive view of use of contraceptives before marriage was associated with higher likelihood of use. Somewhat surprisingly, use of alcohol was associated with higher likelihood of contraceptive use. The findings suggest adolescent girls can be grouped into different risk categories. Some practice abstinence and some who are sexually active appear to have control over sexual decision-making, specifically in being able to negotiate use of contraceptives. However, there is a group which is sexually active but does not use contraception. This group has a higher rate of coercion as the reasons for sexual activity. The analysis suggests a multi-dimensional set of factors explain sexual activity and associated contraceptive use (or non-use) and that beliefs and attitudes do not always predict an expected behaviour. Interventions should target the most at-risk group and must take into account that belief and attitude does not necessarily predict behaviour.A / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The study is titled 'Determinants of contraceptive use among young women in Lesotho'. Caldwell and Caldwell (2002:80) assert, "The most serious problem with existing subSaharan family planning programs is their neglect at adolescents' needs". The main objective of the study is to investigate factors influencing the use of modern contraceptives among young women (15-24 years old) in Lesotho and to contribute towards improvements in health care services for adolescents. The study will examine the levels of contraceptive use among young people in Lesotho, and explore social and demographic factors that promote contraceptive use. The study is based on the data from 2004 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey which is a representative sample. The study showed that young people have high knowledge of modern methods of contraceptive (knowledge ranked up to 91 percent) however use of methods is lower (ranked up to 44 percent). Traditional methods were the least known except for withdrawal which had a plausible percentage (64.7 percent). Most of sexually active young people have ever used contraceptives and injectables were the leading method while condoms were the most generally known. The study also showed that contraceptive use increases with age, level of education, wealth and discussion of family planning with partner. Results of the logistic regression analysis, however, showed unexpected results where adolescents' from the rural areas had a higher likelihood of using contraceptives than those from urban areas. Married young women had a high level of contraceptive use than those never married. Socio-cultural context hinders the establishment of reproductive programs on adolescents as their sexuality is attached to marriage and childbearing. It was recommended that intensive programs informing young people about their reproductive decision-making is needed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.