The study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of social support mechanisms provided to HIV and AIDS orphans in Tembisa, Gauteng Province. An interview guide was designed and it guided the in-depth interviews with HIV and AIDS affected and infected orphans. In addition, a focus group was run with the social workers and the children‟s caregivers. Empirical findings gathered were based on the qualitative information from the participants. The findings indicated that social support systems were effective although there were various challenges facing their smooth running. Firstly social support provided to orphans is mainly provided by caregivers, social workers, schools and the government. Secondly for some, the support is not entirely enough to help them cope with life. The minority of the orphans indicated that they were not even aware that they were orphaned. The study therefore recommends that social workers and caregivers be trained on how to be effective social support systems for HIV and AIDS orphans. Furthermore psycho-social support groups need to be more informational and inclusive of HIV and AIDS orphans.

The effects of gender and age on the behavioral risk of HIV/AIDS are not clearly understood as previous distinct studies which have been carried out, have given disputable and contradictory outcomes. This study therefore, discusses the statistical methods which can be used to model the influence of age and gender on the behavioral risk factors of HIV/AIDS. In general, generalized linear models are the main methods which can be applied to depict the impact of age and gender on the behavioral risk of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS virus. In this study, the main methods used were logistic regression, log-linear regression and multiple regressions. Behavioral risk was taken as the dependent variable while age, gender, number of sexual partners, religious beliefs and alcohol and drug abuse were fitted as predictor variables. The three statistical methods gave significant results for gender and insignificant results for age. Furthermore, comparisons were made on the three regression methods and the logistic regression gave the best results. It was therefore concluded that gender plays a significant role on the behavioral risk of HIV/AIDS. The results of the study showed that gender of the student and number of sexual partners had a significant effect on the risk behavior of the university students. In future, it may be very important to find out why age is not a significant factor on risk behavior of HIV/AIDS among university students.

Magister Public Health - MPH / This study explored the perceptions of black South African women residing in Khayelitsha, Site B, about thinness, HIV/AIDS and body image. Obesity is a major public health problem in developed as well as developing countries. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been escalating in Sub-Saharan Africa and has been said to be the leading cause of death in South Africa. / South Africa

MPH / Department of Public Health

Department of Advanced Nursing Science / MCur

MSc (Microbiology) / Department of Microbiology

Thesis (LLM. (Development and Management Law)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / In South Africa, the concept of virginity testing has been under the spotlight because of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 partially legalising it. Section 12 thereof, provides for the testing to be performed on both male and female children over the age of sixteen with their informed consent. It has also been revived as a Zulu custom which gained momentum in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This custom is, however, in contrast to the approach highlighted in the Act, since it targets only the girl child and mostly without her informed consent. Although a girl’s virginity is said to bring honour to her family, it also comes with inherent risks, since, in African societies, the myth that sex with a virgin, or a girl-child can cure AIDS, is prevalent. This dissertation examines, from a human rights perspective, the concept of virginity testing and related procedures/ provisions, the role and function of the virginity testers, as well as expectations/experience of the participants (the girls tested). The study asserts that the practice of virginity testing is a violation of human rights, strips the girl of her dignity, represents an invasion of bodily privacy and leads to degradation and humiliation. Virginity testing, according to this study, leads to limitation of rights and unfairly discriminates against the girls tested and cannot be justified in terms of the limitation clause, as provided by section 36 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. As part of the comparative study, the analysis of the position in Senegal, regarding the successful abolishment of a similar discriminatory cultural practice, provides lessons on how both the South African government and NGO’s can work towards law reform in order to address the problem of virginity testing.

Abstract in English / The overall aim of this study was to construct and describe a conceptual framework that can serve as a frame of reference for organisational stakeholders to sustain a community coalition to manage alcohol misuse as a risk factor of HIV infection in a specific community in the North West Province, South Africa. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) design that was qualitative and theory generative in nature was followed in this study. A phased approach with specific objectives aligned to the PAR cycle, namely observe (Phase One), reflect (Phase Two), plan (Phase Three) and act (Phase Four), was followed. These phases were actualised through an exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design, guided and theoretically influenced by critical theory. Data in Phase One were collected through 10 key informant interviews. Data were collected in Phases Two to Four through 10 dialogue meetings. Data collected in the four phases were used to construct and describe the conceptual framework that was evaluated by five experts in the field of mental health and substance misuse for refinement (Phase Five). Thematic data analyses was done to identify emerging themes. Key issues identified were that the community is characterised by fragile community coalitions that hamper the management of alcohol misuse as a risk factor of HIV infection. Factors to be considered to sustain the coalition were identified as sharing a common vision, promoting a trusting relationship, formalising the coalition, transformational leadership, strengthening organisational unity, and access to financial resources. This research adds knowledge in the field of mental health and substance misuse by providing a sustainable community coalition conceptual framework for organisational stakeholders to manage alcohol misuse as a risk factor of HIV infection. The conceptual framework could be used to inform policy, further research, education and improve practice in the field of mental health and substance misuse. Although the study was limited to a specific geographical area of a community in the North West Province, South Africa, the findings can be adapted to fit a specific setting. / Health Studies / D Litt et Phil. (Health Studies)

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Development Studies, 2017 / HIV/AIDS is a social epidemic that continues to impact the lives of countless young people in Southern Africa and possibly poses one of the biggest threats to adolescent health and sexuality; and is one of the main challenges faced by youth in their transition to adulthood. However, despite the fifteenth year running of the South African government’s HIV/AIDS programme, prevalence rates continue to increase annually pointing to disjuncture between government intervention and the causal mechanisms involved in the spread of HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, literature on men’s sexuality in Southern Africa remains embedded within a ‘predatory masculinity and female vulnerability’ paradigm which results in a gendered analysis of HIV/AIDS and a side-lining of the male perspective which then places young men at a high risk of HIV infection. Therefore, in an attempt to understand the disconnect between literature and high prevalence rates; and to contribute to a better understanding of men’s health and sexuality, a qualitative study using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews was conducted amongst young black heterosexual men (19- 25 years old) to discover the factors that determine condom use among young men living in an RDP housing settlement in Daveyton on the East Rand of Johannesburg. The research findings show that condom use in the sample is predicated upon the young black heterosexual men’s definition of masculinity, the nature of the sexual relationship and sexual partner, and – to a lesser extent - the social accessibility of the condom. As they move from adolescence to adulthood, there is a transition of their understanding of masculinity from one characterized by promiscuous sexual behavior where the use of condoms is seen to diminish the degree of one’s masculinity, to a masculinity fostered by responsible sexual behaviour and accompanied by condom use. The study also found that young men expressed a distance from the supposedly hegemonic view of violent masculinity and male dominance in sexual relationships and that the search for love and the ability to provide for one’s partner was what was most valued in young men’s self -conception of masculinity and sexuality. This then negatively impacted condom usage in romantic relationships as such relationships were perceived to contain less risk and it was assumed that they are predicated on trust; positing love as the biggest barrier to condom use. Furthermore, the study found that although condoms are physically and economically accessible, they are not socially accessible due to the stigma attached to sexual activity among adolescents – which results in a barrier to condom usage. Therefore, findings suggest that the government’s condom promotion programmes - based on the tenets of education (on the subject of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases) and physical accessibility of condoms - are largely inconsistent with the factors that determine condom use among young men. This implies that there is a need to develop tailored condom promotion programmes targeted at male sexuality / XL2018

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Background: Termination of pregnancy among young women is a public health issue, particularly in South Africa where high prevalence of pregnany terminations has lately been reported. It is estimated that 260000 terminations of pregnancy take place in South Africa every year. Studies in South Africa have reported that risk factors associated with termination of pregnancy such as financial problems, being poorly educated, being young, unemployed, dependent on parents, widowed or single and other relationship problems were most common. Approximately 1200 pregnancies were terminated in the District Hospital of Limpopo Province between 2017 and 2018. There is also an increased rate of unintended pregnancy among HIV positive women which suggest that women with HIV may be more likely to terminate pregnancy but chooses not to terminate due to fear of being judged. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with termination of pregnancy at a District Hospital in Limpopo Province. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive retrospective review study in which convenience sampling of the records of women who terminated pregnancies was used in this study. A self-constructed data extraction tool was used to extract the data from patients records. The tool covered variables such as the age of the women, educational status, marital status, year and month of termination of pregnancy, gestational age, parity, and gravidity, HIV status and circumstances leading to termination of pregnancy. Data analysis was done using the STATA statistical software version 12 for Windows (STATA Corporation, College Station, Texas). The independent t-test was used for variables having two categories as it assesses whether the difference between means of two groups are statistically significant. This test was performed at the 95% confidence level. The p-value of less than 0.05 in the study results was used for statistical significant difference in means between the categories which were investigated. vi Results: The mean age was 27.9 years (standard error [Std. Err.] =0.37) and majority of women who terminated pregnancies were in the age group 20 – 24 years, single and had a secondary educational level. There was a statistical significance difference between age groups and the gestational age, parity and gravidity at p=0.004 and p<0.001 respectively. The proportion of women who were at gestational age of 1 to 8 weeks decreased with increasing maternal age from 22.4% in age ≤20 years to 13% in age group 30 – 34 years. There was again a statistical significance difference (p<0.001) in relation to number of pregnancies that have each resulted in the birth of an infant capable of survival (parity) and similarly to gravida. The prevalence of HIV amongst women who terminated pregnancy in the current study was found to be 21.3% and the risk of women who terminated pregnancies being HIV positive increased significantly with age as older women (age 20 years and above) were 6.5 times more likely to be HIV positive as compared to younger ones (p<001). Low educational level, gestational age of more than 13 weeks and parity of 1 – 2 were significantly associated with termination of pregnancy. The association of gravida of women who terminated pregnancies and HIV revealed that women who were in their second or third pregnancies (gravida) while HIV positive were 3.9 times more likely to terminate pregnancies as compared to those who were first pregnancy (p<0.001). Marital status was not significantly associated with termination of pregnancy. Conclusion: Termination of pregnancies among adolescents and youth is a major public health issue and the findings of this study highlight the need to address the structural socio-economic drivers of family planning which results in high number of termination of pregnancy amongst the youth. Structural interventions, such as increasing contraceptive use which may be useful for reducing the burden of unplanned pregnancies. These findings suggest the need for targeted interventions for women of child-bearing age to access reproductive health interventions to prevent unintended pregnancies and the associated risk of termination.