Rala Ntombana

The vulnerability of adolescents and young adults in South Africa to HIV and sexual violence is well documented. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is available for victims of sexual abuse in the country but awareness of this measure is required to maximise its HIV-prevention benefits. This study examined levels of PEP awareness and its correlates and the uptake of PEP among 772 students (16–24 years) in a South African university using stratified random sampling. Overall, we included more females (477) than males (295), reflecting the male–female ratio at the university. Adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression models were used to determine correlates of PEP awareness, which was low (24.1%), particularly among those who experienced sexual violence in the past year (19.8%) compared those who had not (24.8%). Only 2.6% of participants had used PEP, while 7.5% had seen it, and 14.6% knew where to get it. In the adjusted model, adequate family support (AOR: 2.22; CI: 1.54–3.20) and prior HIV testing (AOR: 2.65; CI: 1.59–4.42) were associated with a higher likelihood of PEP awareness. The study concluded that awareness of PEP was low in the study setting and especially among those who need it. Social marketing of PEP is needed in the study settings to realise the maximum benefits of PEP in preventing new HIV infections.

Companionship, which is having the support of a companion during labour and birth, is an important part of the management of women in labour. A quantitative, exploratory and descriptive design was used to explore the opinions of women on having support during labour. A semi-structured interview guide was used to gather data from a convenience sample of 62 women. Data were analysed using Epi Info software. Twenty-seven women in the study knew of companionship and its benefits before their birth but only 15 had companions during labour and some misinterpreted companionship to apply to lawful partners only. The women who had companions attributed the following to companionship, namely, comfort and support, reduced pain and shortened labour. Of the 47 women who had no companions, 35 had no knowledge of companionship. These women viewed labour differently, as some attributed the following to absence of companionship, namely, long and painful labour, loneliness, panic and feeling as though they were dying. These women felt that labour could have been better with the support of a companion and even recommended that companionship was a necessity during labour. It is recommended that the psychosocial benefits of companionship should be emphasised during antenatal care as a means to a less stressful labour process for both the women and the midwives. factors that impede the availability of companions and make recommendations that could further be developed into guidelines for the facilitation of the use of companionship.