"You Must Do the Test to Know Your Status": Attitudes to HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing for Adolescents Among South African Youth and Parents

¹ Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
³ David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles.
⁴ Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

	Abstract

Reduced HIV risk behavior and increased use of care and support services have been demonstrated among adults accessing HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT). The impact of VCT on adolescents is, however, not known. Focus group discussions were held with adolescents and parents in two South African townships to establish the perceptions of and needs for VCT among young people. Ecological theory informed the analysis. Adolescents had limited experience of VCT, were afraid of knowing their HIV status, and felt that testing was only for symptomatic individuals. Youth felt that they would disclose their HIV status to family members who they felt would be most supportive. Youth were afraid of stigma and discrimination; rarely referring to the community as a source of support. Discussions highlighted the inappropriateness of clinical facilities for youth VCT. We conclude with recommendations for youth-friendly VCT services.

Key Words: adolescents, HIV testing, voluntary, counseling, South Africa

First published on July 26, 2006, doi:10.1177/1090198106286442

Health Education & Behavior 2008;35:87.

A more recent version of this article appeared on February 1, 2008


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?