Risky Business: South African youths and HIV/AIDS prevention

Abstract

Behavior change is the only available means of curtailing new HIV infections in South Africa. This study investigated the relationship between sexual risk taking and attitudes to AIDS precautions. The participants were about 25% white, about 30% colored/mixed blood and 45% black in their second year in polytechnics (413 females and 402 males). Participants responded to the 40-item HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Data indicated that young women showed more positive attitudes to AIDS precautions than young men (re ecting in part the stereotypic negative attitudes of young men toward condoms). In general, most males and females were found to have less knowledge about HIV transmission and less favorable attitudes toward safe sex behavior than their counterparts in the west. Also young men with more partners expressed more fatalistic attitudes toward AIDS. The possibility that a nergrained multivariate analysis of attitudes to AIDS and safe-sex behaviour is something that needs to be taken seriously in future research, however.

Condom Use Among South African Adolescents: Developing and Testing Theoretical Models of Intentions and Behavior

“…My future is what I make of it Acceptance of sexuality 5 Bryan et al [10,15] .65 I believe my sexuality is a part of my personality Control over the sexual encounter 4 Bryan et al [10,15] .37 I believe I could make decisions about what goes on when I have sex Attitudes towards condom use 4 Bryan et al [12] .59 Condoms can ruin the sexual mood (reversed) Subjective norms for condom use 8 Fisher et al [26] .79 Friends that I respect think I should use condoms every time, if I have sex, during the next 4 months Condom use self-efficacy 16 Brien et al (1994) .72 I am confident that I could get condoms without feeling embarrassed I could suggest using condoms even to a new partner Safer sex intentions 4 Bryan et al [12] .86 How likely is it that you will use a condom every time you have sexual intercourse in the next 4 months?…”

“…Previous research with sub-Saharan African youth demonstrates that attitudes regarding condom use such as perceptions of condoms as a nuisance [4], normative support from peers and important others [22], and self-efficacy with regard to the acquisition, negotiation, and use of condoms [31,33] are important correlates of condom use. This set of predictors is closely aligned with the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; [3]), upon which much many successful HIV/STD prevention research efforts and interventions have been partially or completely based [5].…”

Science Theatre: Changing South African Students’ Intended Behaviour Towards HIV AIDS

“…Compared with males, females have much higher prevalence rates, are infected earlier, have lower rates of multiple sexual partnering and poorer HIV knowledge; to a lesser extent they are less sexually active, older at sexual debut (abstinence) and use condoms more, although conflicting data exist on these latter three differences (Akande, 2001;Eaton et al, 2003;Peltzer & Promtussan, 2005;Simbayi et al, 2004;S Pezi The SABSSM III Implementation Team, 2008;Welz et al, 2007). While there are fewer data on rural/urban differences, compared with their urban counterparts, rural students have higher rates of multiple sexual partnering, earlier age of sexual debut, much lower HIV knowledge, greater sexual activity and engage in fewer HIV preventative behaviours (Eaton et al, 2003;Harrison, Cleland, Gouws, & Frohlich, 2005;Kaaya et al, 2002;Kelly, 2000;Peltzer & Promtussan, 2005).…”

Social and Psychological Aspects of HIV/AIDS and their Ramifications

“…In most developing countries, many people are not aware of their HIV status. Less than 1% of sexually active persons in urban Nigeria have been tested for HIV and this proportion is even lower within rural populations (Akande, 2001). Furthermore, a mere 0.5% of pregnant women who attend urban health facilities are counselled, tested or receive their test results.…”