Department of Public Health

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Browsing Department of Public Health by Subject "Adolescents"

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    Factors that influence adolescent on the use of contraceptives in the dreams project, Khomas region Namibia
    (University of Namibia, 2025) Embula, Simaneka; Sibalatani-Libuku, Erica
    Contraceptive use is crucial for preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among adolescents. However, low contraceptive uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa remains a significant public health concern. The study fit a binary logistics model, to explore fctors influencing contraceptive use among adolescents in the DREAMS project within the Khomas Region, Namibia, to identify and analyze the demographic, social, and economic factors associated with contraceptive use among adolescents, to evaluate the associations between adolescent knowledge and attitude levels regarding contraceptives and their actual contraceptive use. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 359 adolescent girls (aged 15-19 years) in the Khomas region, Namibia. A bivariate and binary logistic regression analysis assessed the association between factors and contraceptive use. The results showed that adolescents’ age, occupation level, method of contraceptive use, reason for not using contraceptives and parent’s awareness on the use of contraceptives were associated with contraceptive use. The results also showed that living arrangements, particularly living with one parent, were associated with higher contraceptive use. The results further showed that parental awareness of their child's contraceptive use was positively associated with actual use. In addition, the result showed that there was a significant difference between those who discussed the contraceptive methods with their health provider. Contraceptive use among adolescent girls exhibits strong significant association, even though some demographic, instructional, and other factors were not associated with contraceptive use. Similar studies in the future need to consider reasons behind specific living arrangement influences and delve deeper into the dynamics of partner and family communication
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    The association between disclosure and adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy among adolescents living with HIV in Windhoek, Khomas region, Namibia
    (University of Namibia, 2024) Manvwali, Martha Kachana; Alfeus, Anna
    The study was conducted in Windhoek, Khomas region, Namibia, focusing on adolescents living with HIV aged 10-19 who had been receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) care for at least six months between 2010 and 2021. It also included healthcare workers who had worked in the ART department for at least six months during the data collection period. The primary objective was to assess the association between disclosure (the process of revealing one's HIV-positive status) and adherence to ART among adolescents living with HIV. A mixed method approach with an explanatory sequential design was employed. The quantitative component used an unmatched case-control design with a 1:1 ratio, while the qualitative component utilized an exploratory design to complement the quantitative analysis. The study participants included 20 healthcare workers and 37 adolescents living with HIV who were on ART care. Findings revealed that among adolescents with good adherence (≥90%), 76% had been fully disclosed about their HIV-positive status, while 20% were partially disclosed. In contrast, among adolescents with poor adherence (<90%), 92% had not been disclosed about their HIV-positive status. Some adolescents who were fully disclosed learned about their status accidentally. Caregivers of the adolescents and healthcare workers were the key informants in disclosure and adherence aspect. The study recommends strengthening disclosure programs through enhanced efforts by the Ministry of Health and Social Services. This includes training healthcare providers involved in the disclosure process, educating parents/caregivers or guardians about the disclosure process and the skills required to conduct it at home, ensuring equitable distribution of disclosure tools and equipment among health facilities, and implementing standardized disclosure processes through Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines consistently across all health facilities nationwide. Future research should explore factors that enable adolescents to accept their HIV-positive status with reduced distress and examine their experiences during and after disclosure sessions, including their psychosocial support needs. In summary, this study aimed to understand the relationship between disclosure and adherence to ART among adolescents living with HIV in Namibia and provided recommendations to improve the disclosure process and support for these adolescents