scholarly journals Perceptions of young men at the Free State School of Nursing with regards to teenage pregnancy

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siphiwe T. Madlala ◽  
Maureen N. Sibiya ◽  
Thembelihle S.P. Ngxongo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Teenage Pregnancy ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Free State ◽  
Traditional Practices ◽  
State School ◽  
Unprotected Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Health Programmes

Background: Teenage pregnancy is a socio-economic challenge and a serious public health problem for communities in South Africa. It is, therefore, imperative that effective interventions and programmes be implemented to address this problem. A number of research studies have been conducted on teenage pregnancy in South Africa, but their focus was mainly on teenage girls excluding young men’s involvement in teenage pregnancy.Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions of young men between the ages of 18 and 23 years towards teenage pregnancy.Methods: A qualitative, explorative semi-structured interview descriptive design was used toconduct the study. The study was guided by the Johnson’s Behavioral System Model. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 participants with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis of data were performed.Setting: The study was conducted in Free State School of Nursing’s two main campuses.Results: The findings of this study revealed that young men were not involved in reproductive health programmes aiming to prevent teenage pregnancies. Father and son’s poor communication on issues related to sex and teenage pregnancy contributes to unprotected sexual intercourse resulting in teenage pregnancy. Cultural and traditional practices such as the withdrawal method, not using contraceptives, and misleading teachings at the initiation schools contribute to risk factors of teenage pregnancy.Conclusion: There is still a gap in reproductive health that needs to be filled by involving young men to reduce teenage pregnancies. Involving young men in reproductive health programmes could lead to a decreased number of teenage pregnancies. Factors, such as cultural and traditional practices, and father and son sexual health education, need to be taken into consideration to prevent teenage pregnancies.

scholarly journals A comparison of obstetrics and perinatal outcomes of teenagers and older women: Experiences from rural South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monjurul Hoque ◽  
Shahnaz Hoque
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Teenage Pregnancy ◽  
Perinatal Outcomes ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Chi Square

Background: Teenage pregnancy is a known risk factor for a negative pregnancy outcome and poses a health risk to teenagers; it is thus considered a public health problem. It is also an indicator of problems with the sexual and reproductive health of a country’s young population. In South Africa, most of the adolescent pregnancies are to be found within the context of unstable relationships with the father of the baby and are unplanned or unwanted.Objectives: This study estimates and compares the incidence of adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes of teenage women with older women, to identify specific health needs of teenage mothers during pregnancy and delivery.Methods:A retrospective cohort study targeted pregnant women who delivered at Empangeni Hospital from April to December 2005, whilst comparing the obstetric and perinatal outcomes of all teenage (ages < 19 years) pregnant women with those of older pregnant women (ages ≥ 19 years) for this study period. Data were collected from the labour ward delivery registry. Pearson’s chi-square test was performed to measure the level of significance (alpha = 0.05) for association amongst variables. The student t-test was used to find the significance difference between two proportions and the binary logistic regression method was employed to find the significant predictor for outcome variables.Results:There were 7836 deliveries over the study period, of which 1236 (16%) were teenage mothers.The rate of gestational age at delivery (e.g. pre-term delivery of 12%), vaginal and forceps deliveries,foetal presentation at birth, multiple pregnancies, low birth-weight and live births deliveries and mean Apgar scores were similar for both groups. The caesarean delivery rate (20%) and macerated stillbirth rate (1.1%) were significantly lower (p < 0.05) for teenagers than for older women.Conclusion: Although there was a higher rate of teenage pregnancy, it did not appear that it was associated with extra perinatal negative outcome such as preterm delivery, low birth-weight delivery and stillbirth. However, strategies are urgently needed to delay conception and improve the socio-economic development of teenage girls.

scholarly journals Reproductive health needs and the reproductive health behaviour of the youth in Mangaung in the Free State province: a feasibility study

Curationis ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Seekoe
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Behaviour ◽  
Teenage Pregnancy ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Free State ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Free State Province

From the community profiles conducted by nursing students in Mangaung, the following observation was prevalent: an increase in the prevalence of teenage pregnancy together with a high prevalence of HIV infection was demonstrated. The relationship between young people’s reproductive behavior and the prevalence of HIV is well documented. To address this problem, a community -based education programme is required. Developing a successful community-based educational programme that addresses the needs of youth requires that such a programme be based on the needs of such a group. The research question is applicable: How do youth in Mangaung in the Free State province in South Africa perceive their reproductive health needs and their reproductive health behavior? The aim of this article is to explore and describe the reproductive health needs and the reproductive health behaviour of the youth in Mangaung. A quantitative research design that is descriptive and explorative in nature was conducted. The reproductive health needs and the reproductive health behaviour of the youth were collected by means of a structured questionnaire with open-ended and closed questions. A purposive non - probability sampling method was utilized and (n=250) drawn from the youth. The justification of the sample was further enhanced by collecting data from youth aged 13-25 at three high schools in Mangaung and at the health centre of MUCPP. Qualitative data obtained from open-ended questionnaires was coded and analyzed by using Tech’s (1990) content analysis approach. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed on the quantitative data from closed questions. A descriptive analysis of the participant’s ages and their perceived reproductive health needs and reproductive health behaviour was done. The mean age of the participants was 18.6, which could be because all the respondents were of school- going age. The results indicated that the youth received insufficient reproductive health information to be able to prevent pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. The special needs of youth were indicated by 92% who requested that the clinic should accommodate both boys and girls and 96% of the respondents requested sessions for discussions facilitated by a professional person. A total of 95% of the youth requested that a special programme of activities be conducted during school holidays. The risk behaviours practised by the youth were: having sex with a stranger, many partners, drinking alcohol, and using drugs and dagga. The researcher recommends that such a programme be supported by different university departments and rolled out to different districts in the Free State province.

scholarly journals Knowledge of cervical cancer, human papillomavirus and prevention among first-year female students in residences at the University of the Free State

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel Mofolo ◽  
Maarasi Sello ◽  
Moleboheng Leselo ◽  
Naledi Chabanku ◽  
Samke Ndlovu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Human Papillomavirus ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Free State ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Unprotected Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Main Campus ◽  
The University

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in South Africa. One of the major risk factors for the development of cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV).Aim: To determine the knowledge of first-year female students living in residences on the main campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) regarding cervical cancer and HPV.Setting: Female residences on the main campus of UFS.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on participants between the ages of 18 and 25 years using a non-random convenience sampling method. Seven residences were included. Anonymous self-administered questionnaires were distributed during the eveningmeetings to all first-year female students at the selected residences after an information session.Students had to complete the questionnaires immediately after the meeting.Results: Most of the 373 respondents (85.8%) knew that cervical cancer arises from the cervix, but only 15.4% knew that it was caused by a virus. Of the 62.5% participants who knew that HPV was a cancer-causing virus, most correctly knew that HPV was contracted by unprotected sexual intercourse (81.1%) and that there is a vaccine to protect against HPV (73.1%). However, 62.0% knew that the vaccine was available in South Africa and only 31.0% knew the vaccine was free of charge.Conclusion: The study revealed that students had limited knowledge of cervical cancer, HPVand vaccine availability.

scholarly journals Teenage Pregnancy in South Africa: Where are the young men involved?

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2b) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel O Amoo ◽  
Clifford O Odimegwu ◽  
Nicole De Wet
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Teenage Pregnancy ◽  
Young Men

scholarly journals “As young men we have a role to play in preventing sexual violence”: Development and relevance of the men with conscience intervention to prevent sexual violence

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244550
Author(s):  
Tania de Villiers ◽  
Sinegugu Duma ◽  
Naeemah Abrahams
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Prevention Interventions ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
The One ◽  
Young Male Student

Sexual violence against women and girls is a major public health problem globally and in South Africa. Although young men have been identified as an important risk group for prevention interventions, scant attention have been given to this age cohort in low and middle-income countries. There is strong evidence that perpetration starts early and increasing attention is being drawn to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as settings for prevention interventions. The main objective of this study was to adapt the One Man Can Intervention for use with male university students in residences and develop materials for implementation. This paper presents the qualitative findings of the adaptation process of the One Man Can Intervention with 15 young male student leaders at a HEI in South Africa. The same participants who started in the study, participated throughout. Only five of the 15 participants were located and participated in the interviews six months post intervention. The results show the emergence of a six-hour session adapted intervention that addresses key drivers of violence against women and girls (VAWG). Critical engagement and dialogue on sexual violence is shown to shift key norms on gender equality, on being a man and reflection on their role in preventing sexual violence. This paper contributes to the field where much learning, refining and improvement of prevention interventions for VAWG are ongoing.

Involuntary Circumcision of Males in Illegal Initiation Schools in South Africa: A Violation of African Customary Human Rights?

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Porsche Makama
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
Constitutional Rights ◽  
Topical Issue ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Traditional Practice

The incidence of deaths associated with the practice of forced and botched circumcisions at initiation schools has become a topical issue in South Africa. In recent times, the number of deaths and injuries among initiates has risen at an alarming rate, most of them occurring at illegal initiation schools. The continuous rise in the number of injuries among initiates at these schools has elicited mixed reactions among community members, some referring to it as genocide in the case of fatalities and calling for its abandonment, while others argue that this traditional practice should be allowed to continue. The majority of young men who go to initiation schools do not make the decision on their own, nor do they have a choice in the matter. Instead they are compelled by parents or guardians, influenced by friends, and also coerced by others in the community who insist that they have to ‘go to the mountain’, as initiation schools are generally referred to in South Africa. It has been argued by those against circumcision that this practice infringes constitutional rights and contravenes the Children’s Act 38 of 2005. There have been numerous instances where young and even mature males have been taken from the streets, or even from the comfort of their homes, and forced into circumcision camps with or without their consent. This begs the question whether the continued practice of a cultural tradition that violates the fundamental human right and freedom to choose religious and cultural beliefs is justifiable.

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