Background: Empowerment is when a person gains mastery of their life and environment. This paper ... more Background: Empowerment is when a person gains mastery of their life and environment. This paper describes three central elements of empowerment (agency, resources, and institutional structures) expressed by adolescents, discussing implications for strengthening adolescent sexual reproductive health, HIV, and violence prevention programming. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted (April 2017 – May 2018) as part of the GAP Year trial among grade eight learners (12 – 18 years) from 26 lowest quintile public high schools in Khayelitsha, Soweto and Thembisa townships, South Africa. Data were on empowerment experiences using a knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey. Descriptive and chi-square test statistics were employed, assessing the association between sociodemographic and domains of empowerment. Results: A total of 2383 adolescents in 26 schools completed the baseline survey: 63.1% female, mean age 13.7 years, 96.9% Black African. Agency: Males (4.04 vs 3.94, p=0.008) a...
Background: Despite progressive policies and frameworks on school safety by the Department of Bas... more Background: Despite progressive policies and frameworks on school safety by the Department of Basic Education, safety remains a concern in South African schools. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed using the National School Safety Framework (NSSF) 152-question learner survey, exploring perceptions and experiences pertaining to eight safety domains: dangerous objects, drugs and alcohol, bullying, verbal abuse, physical violence, discrimination, sexual violence, and journey to and from school. Grade 9-11 learners from 15 government-funded high schools in the Girls Achieve Power trial in Khayelitsha, Soweto, and Thembisa townships were surveyed (March 2018 - April 2019), sampling 10% of the school population. Data analysis included Principal Component Analysis (PCA), reducing correlated variables into fewer questions, then analysis on a scree plot by calculating eigenvalues; repeated PCA with those that had a minimum eigenvalue of 1 and Cronbach Alpha test for in...
Background: Despite the high rate of HIV infections, there is still high rate of early unprotecte... more Background: Despite the high rate of HIV infections, there is still high rate of early unprotected sex, unintended pregnancy, and unsafe abortions especially among unmarried adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) 10-24 years of age in sub Saharan Africa. AGYW face challenges in accessing health care, contraception needs, and power to negotiate safer sex. This study aimed to estimate the rate of pregnancy among AGYW aged 10-24, 10-19 and 15-19 years in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) economic region. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was used to describe the prevalence of pregnancy among AGYW in 15 SADC member countries between January 2007 and December2017. The articles were extracted from PubMed/MEDLINE, African Index Medicus, and other reports. They were screened and reviewed according to PRISMA methodology to fulfil study eligibility criteria. Results: The overall regional weighted pregnancy prevalence among AGYW 10-24 years of age was 25% (95% CI:...
Background: South African adolescents experience disproportionally high rates of violence, with l... more Background: South African adolescents experience disproportionally high rates of violence, with lifelong health, social and economic impacts. Few papers present risk factors associated with experiences of adolescent violence. Methods: A baseline cross-sectional survey was done (April 2017 – Sept 2018) with 3432 grade 8 learners in the Girls Achieve Power (GAP Year) trial from 26 high schools in three townships (Soweto and Tembisa, Gauteng and Khayelitsha, Western Cape). Collected data on lifetime experiences of different types of violence, perpetrators, and place of violence. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to enumerate experiences of, and factors associated with violence. Results: A total of 2383 respondents are included. Most (63.1%) were girls, 81.5% aged 12-14. In total 26% had ever experienced violence, higher among boys (p=<0.001). Physical violence was most common (35.7%), then psychological (21.8%), sexual (13.1%), neglect (10.6%), cyberbullying (...
Background: Empowerment is when a person gains mastery of their life and environment. This paper ... more Background: Empowerment is when a person gains mastery of their life and environment. This paper describes three central elements of empowerment (agency, resources, and institutional structures) expressed by adolescents, discussing implications for strengthening adolescent sexual reproductive health, HIV, and violence prevention programming. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted (April 2017 – May 2018) as part of the GAP Year trial among grade eight learners (12 – 18 years) from 26 lowest quintile public high schools in Khayelitsha, Soweto and Thembisa townships, South Africa. Data were on empowerment experiences using a knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey. Descriptive and chi-square test statistics were employed, assessing the association between sociodemographic and domains of empowerment. Results: A total of 2383 adolescents in 26 schools completed the baseline survey: 63.1% female, mean age 13.7 years, 96.9% Black African. Agency: Males (4.04 vs 3.94, p=0.008) a...
Background: Despite progressive policies and frameworks on school safety by the Department of Bas... more Background: Despite progressive policies and frameworks on school safety by the Department of Basic Education, safety remains a concern in South African schools. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed using the National School Safety Framework (NSSF) 152-question learner survey, exploring perceptions and experiences pertaining to eight safety domains: dangerous objects, drugs and alcohol, bullying, verbal abuse, physical violence, discrimination, sexual violence, and journey to and from school. Grade 9-11 learners from 15 government-funded high schools in the Girls Achieve Power trial in Khayelitsha, Soweto, and Thembisa townships were surveyed (March 2018 - April 2019), sampling 10% of the school population. Data analysis included Principal Component Analysis (PCA), reducing correlated variables into fewer questions, then analysis on a scree plot by calculating eigenvalues; repeated PCA with those that had a minimum eigenvalue of 1 and Cronbach Alpha test for in...
Background: Despite the high rate of HIV infections, there is still high rate of early unprotecte... more Background: Despite the high rate of HIV infections, there is still high rate of early unprotected sex, unintended pregnancy, and unsafe abortions especially among unmarried adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) 10-24 years of age in sub Saharan Africa. AGYW face challenges in accessing health care, contraception needs, and power to negotiate safer sex. This study aimed to estimate the rate of pregnancy among AGYW aged 10-24, 10-19 and 15-19 years in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) economic region. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was used to describe the prevalence of pregnancy among AGYW in 15 SADC member countries between January 2007 and December2017. The articles were extracted from PubMed/MEDLINE, African Index Medicus, and other reports. They were screened and reviewed according to PRISMA methodology to fulfil study eligibility criteria. Results: The overall regional weighted pregnancy prevalence among AGYW 10-24 years of age was 25% (95% CI:...
Background: South African adolescents experience disproportionally high rates of violence, with l... more Background: South African adolescents experience disproportionally high rates of violence, with lifelong health, social and economic impacts. Few papers present risk factors associated with experiences of adolescent violence. Methods: A baseline cross-sectional survey was done (April 2017 – Sept 2018) with 3432 grade 8 learners in the Girls Achieve Power (GAP Year) trial from 26 high schools in three townships (Soweto and Tembisa, Gauteng and Khayelitsha, Western Cape). Collected data on lifetime experiences of different types of violence, perpetrators, and place of violence. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to enumerate experiences of, and factors associated with violence. Results: A total of 2383 respondents are included. Most (63.1%) were girls, 81.5% aged 12-14. In total 26% had ever experienced violence, higher among boys (p=<0.001). Physical violence was most common (35.7%), then psychological (21.8%), sexual (13.1%), neglect (10.6%), cyberbullying (...
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