Publications, Research | 14 Jun 2022
NACOSA was happy to work with the SAMRC once again on a research paper published in the Frontiers in Health Services looking at lessons learned from implementing health and education interventions for adolescent girls and young women during the Covid-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with reduced access to health services and worsening health outcomes for HIV and sexual and reproductive health. Through the analysis of data from an evaluation study of a combination intervention for adolescent girls and young women in South Africa, the paper examines the way in which implementation and service provision were impacted by…
News | 10 Jun 2022
Adolescent boys and young men are often not actively pursued for HIV prevention interventions. Consequently, they remain at high risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and transmitting these infections to their sexual partners. Men are raised to be “strong” and not to worry about their health – “a man suffers in silence” – thus perpetuating unhealthy masculinities and reducing their health-seeking behaviour. These and other rigid attitudes related to masculinity, have implications for the vulnerability of both young men and women to HIV and AIDS. Involving men and boys is therefore vital for impactful HIV prevention programmes. NACOSA,…
News | 6 Jun 2022
NACOSA’s Adolescents and Young People programme recently supported the upgrading of 18 primary health facilities to make them more adolescent and youth-friendly. Young people in South Africa are at risk of a number of sexual and reproductive health problems including HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and early, unplanned pregnancies. At the same time, young people are far less likely to access prevention, care and treatment services. Adolescents and young people are often put off visiting health facilities because of things like the judgemental attitudes of health care workers, long waiting times, operation hours not suitable to their needs and physical…
Publications, Research | 1 Jun 2022
NACOSA is proud to have co-authored a research paper with South African Medical Research Council, the University of Cape Town and the Sheffield Institute for International Development looking at feasibility and acceptability of Safe Spaces as part of HIV prevention interventions with adolescent girls and young women. The research paper was recently published in the BMC Public Health journal. Safe Spaces are a feature of HIV prevention interventions for adolescent girls and young women that NACOSA implements with funding from the Global Fund, together with two other principal recipient organisations. As part of an evaluation of this programme, researchers investigated…
