The study examined the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents infected with HIV and AIDS. This was a qualitative study that involved semi-structured interviews and observation. The sampling method used was purposive and it entailed 10 adolescents (4 boys and 6 girls) who are living with HIV at Chiedza Child Care Centre in Zimbabwe. This study revealed that adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health needs are the desire to have sex, desire to have children, the need for prevention of unwanted pregnancy and care and treatment support. However, their knowledge of HIV and AIDS was inadequate. Adolescents also revealed their lack of proper information regarding their health care and treatment needs. However, adolescents illustrated an adequate knowledge of the services available for them for their health, treatment and care needs. The study recommended that there is need to strengthen the provision of information and services on adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health issues. The study also recommended that counsellors should improve their counselling skills so that they can empower adolescents living with HIV to be able to negotiate condom usage, matters of dating and handling relationships. / Sociology / M. A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV and AIDS)

This qualitative exploratory study explored adolescents’ perceptions of the HIV youth friendly centre at a hospital in Lesotho in order to improve adolescent-friendly health care services in Lesotho. Data was obtained through interviewing nine purposively selected adolescents aged 18–19 years who accessed health care services at the centre, and was analysed using an adapted version of Colaizzi’s seven-step thematic analysis. Six themes emerged from this study: attributes experienced during adolescents’ visits to health care facilities, adolescents’ perceptions of the health care facility, waiting times, facts related to HIV pre-test counselling, description of services available for adolescents’ health, and challenges faced by adolescents in relation to their HIV positive status. The adolescents explained the factors that encouraged them to be tested, and to commit to HIV management and treatment. The findings showed that it is important to reserve a dedicated space for adolescents, to provide comprehensive health services at one site, to ensure adolescents’ privacy and confidentiality, to indicate patient flow clearly, to indicate the service offering clearly, to offer flexible operating hours and days, to involve youth in the service provision, to keep queues short, and to establish peer support groups. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

The study examined the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents infected with HIV and AIDS. This was a qualitative study that involved semi-structured interviews and observation. The sampling method used was purposive and it entailed 10 adolescents (4 boys and 6 girls) who are living with HIV at Chiedza Child Care Centre in Zimbabwe. This study revealed that adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health needs are the desire to have sex, desire to have children, the need for prevention of unwanted pregnancy and care and treatment support. However, their knowledge of HIV and AIDS was inadequate. Adolescents also revealed their lack of proper information regarding their health care and treatment needs. However, adolescents illustrated an adequate knowledge of the services available for them for their health, treatment and care needs. The study recommended that there is need to strengthen the provision of information and services on adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health issues. The study also recommended that counsellors should improve their counselling skills so that they can empower adolescents living with HIV to be able to negotiate condom usage, matters of dating and handling relationships. / Sociology / M. A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV and AIDS)