<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> <p align="left">The aim of the study is to explore the barriers associated with low VCT uptake by the TB patients attending primary health care clinics within the Buffalo City municipality. <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The study population was drawn from TB patients attending the primary health care facilities in Buffalo city municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Eight participants were purposively selected to include those who had accepted VCT as well as those who did not.</font></font></p> </font></font></p>

<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> <p align="left">The aim of the study is to explore the barriers associated with low VCT uptake by the TB patients attending primary health care clinics within the Buffalo City municipality. <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The study population was drawn from TB patients attending the primary health care facilities in Buffalo city municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Eight participants were purposively selected to include those who had accepted VCT as well as those who did not.</font></font></p> </font></font></p>

Magister Public Health - MPH / The aim of the study is to explore the barriers associated with low VCT uptake by the TB patients attending primary health care clinics within the Buffalo City municipality. The study population was drawn from TB patients attending the primary health care facilities in Buffalo city municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Eight participants were purposively selected to include those who had accepted VCT as well as those who did not.

Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) is at the core of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care programmes. Timely access to treatment and related services requires knowledge of one‟s HIV status. Adolescents are at the epicentre of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. This study investigated the factors that influence adolescents‟ decisions to actively seek VCT. Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with twelve adolescents aged 15 to 19 who were conveniently selected to participate in the study. The study found that adolescents have extensive knowledge regarding the benefits of VCT and acknowledge the need to test for HIV. However, fear of the consequences of testing positive for HIV such as stigmatisation by family and the community, inability to influence their partners to take an HIV test and the inability to make their own decisions and follow through on them still hinder their maximum uptake of VCT. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS

Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) is at the core of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care programmes. Timely access to treatment and related services requires knowledge of one‟s HIV status. Adolescents are at the epicentre of the HIV and AIDS pandemic. This study investigated the factors that influence adolescents‟ decisions to actively seek VCT. Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with twelve adolescents aged 15 to 19 who were conveniently selected to participate in the study. The study found that adolescents have extensive knowledge regarding the benefits of VCT and acknowledge the need to test for HIV. However, fear of the consequences of testing positive for HIV such as stigmatisation by family and the community, inability to influence their partners to take an HIV test and the inability to make their own decisions and follow through on them still hinder their maximum uptake of VCT. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)