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A qualitative analysis of the barriers and facilitators of HIV counselling and testing perceived by adolescents in South Africa

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Health Services Research, June 2015
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  • In the top 25% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • Good Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (77th percentile)
  • Good Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (68th percentile)

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9 X users
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1 Facebook page

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317 Mendeley
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Title
A qualitative analysis of the barriers and facilitators of HIV counselling and testing perceived by adolescents in South Africa
Published in
BMC Health Services Research, June 2015
DOI 10.1186/s12913-015-0922-0
Pubmed ID
Authors

Michael Strauss, Bruce Rhodes, Gavin George

Abstract

Youth in South Africa have been identified as a high-risk group for contracting HIV. In response, the South African Integrated School Health Policy (ISHP) has been developed with the aim of guiding the provision of comprehensive healthcare services within South African schools. Accordingly, the scale-up of HIV counselling and testing (HCT) in high schools is a priority. This study examines the factors affecting the utilisation of HCT services amongst learners in high schools in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Focus group discussions were conducted in 12 rural schools in the Vulindlela sub-district of uMgungundlovu in KwaZulu-Natal. A total of 158 randomly selected learners took part, aged 16 years and older from grades 10, 11 and 12. Qualitative analysis was conducted using the framework approach, providing a systematic structure allowing for a priori and emergent codes, with social cognitive theory as a theoretical framework. The stigma and discrimination attached to testing, along with the inherent fear of a positive result were the biggest barriers to HCT uptake. Fear and the subsequent negative beliefs around HCT were borne out of insufficient knowledge. These fears were exacerbated by the perceived or real attitudes of peers, partners and family towards HIV. The prospect of a positive result and the possible resultant societal backlash hinders high and regular uptake of HCT. Stigma and discrimination remain the foremost barriers to HIV testing despite the presence of localised and convenient testing. Interventions aimed at addressing these challenges could increase the demand for HIV testing amongst adolescents. Increasing education about the importance of HCT and creating awareness about available HCT services will not be enough to increase uptake in schools in South Africa. Efforts to decrease stigma around HIV and HCT by integrating testing into general and sexual reproductive health services offered to youth, and normalising the epidemic within the community could go some way to allaying the fears shrouding testing, if such services are designed with the specific needs of youth in mind. This paper adds to the body of literature informing the design of policy in South Africa aimed at integrating HCT into school health services.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 9 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 317 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
United Kingdom 1 <1%
Ethiopia 1 <1%
Unknown 315 99%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 69 22%
Researcher 47 15%
Student > Ph. D. Student 34 11%
Student > Postgraduate 19 6%
Student > Doctoral Student 17 5%
Other 54 17%
Unknown 77 24%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 64 20%
Nursing and Health Professions 59 19%
Social Sciences 47 15%
Psychology 19 6%
Economics, Econometrics and Finance 7 2%
Other 31 10%
Unknown 90 28%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 7. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 19 July 2015.
All research outputs
#4,750,097
of 23,061,402 outputs
Outputs from BMC Health Services Research
#2,267
of 7,727 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#59,400
of 263,410 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Health Services Research
#32
of 103 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,061,402 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 79th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 7,727 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 7.8. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 70% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 263,410 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 77% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 103 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 68% of its contemporaries.