Otwombe Kennedy, Dietrich Janan, Laher Fatima, Hornschuh Stefanie, Nkala Busisiwe, Chimoyi Lucy, Kaida Angela, Gray Glenda E, Miller Cari L
Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;
Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Glob Health Action. 2015 Feb 2;8:25670. doi: 10.3402/gha.v8.25670. eCollection 2015.
Adolescents are an important age-group for preventing disease and supporting health yet little is known about their health-seeking behaviours.
We describe socio-demographic characteristics and health-seeking behaviours of adolescents in Soweto, South Africa, in order to broaden our understanding of their health needs.
The Botsha Bophelo Adolescent Health Study was an interviewer-administered cross-sectional survey of 830 adolescents (14-19 years) conducted in Soweto from 2010 to 2012. Health-seeking behaviours were defined as accessing medical services and/or being hospitalised in the 6 months prior to the survey. Chi-square analysis tested for associations between gender, other socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics, and health-seeking behaviours.
Of 830 adolescents, 57% were female, 50% were aged 17-19 years, 85% were enrolled in school, and 78% reported experiencing medium or high food insecurity. Males were more likely than females to report sexual debut (64% vs. 49%; p<0.0001) and illicit drug use (11% vs. 3%; p<0.0001). Approximately 27% (n=224) and 8% (n=65) reported seeking healthcare or being hospitalised respectively in the previous 6 months, with no significant differences by gender. Services were most commonly sought at medical clinics (75%), predominantly because of flu-like symptoms (32%), followed by concerns about HIV (10%). Compared to females, males were more likely to seek healthcare for condom breakage (8% vs. 2%; p=0.02). Relative to males, a significantly higher proportion of females desired general healthcare services (85% vs. 78%; p=0.0091), counselling (82% vs. 70%; p<0.0001), and reproductive health services (64% vs. 56%; p=0.02).
A quarter of male and female adolescents accessed health services in the 6 months prior to the interview. Adolescents reported a gap between the availability and the need for general, reproductive, and counselling services. Integrated adolescent-friendly, school-based health services are recommended to bridge this gap.
青少年是预防疾病和促进健康的重要年龄群体，但对他们的健康寻求行为知之甚少。
我们描述了南非索韦托青少年的社会人口学特征和健康寻求行为，以加深对他们健康需求的理解。
博查·博费洛青少年健康研究是一项由访谈员实施的横断面调查，于2010年至2012年在索韦托对830名青少年（14 - 19岁）进行。健康寻求行为被定义为在调查前6个月内就医和/或住院。卡方分析测试了性别、其他社会人口学和行为特征与健康寻求行为之间的关联。
在830名青少年中，57%为女性，50%年龄在17 - 19岁，85%入学，78%报告经历中度或高度粮食不安全。男性比女性更有可能报告首次性行为（64%对49%；p<0.0001）和使用非法药物（11%对3%；p<0.0001）。在过去6个月中，分别约有27%（n = 224）和8%（n = 65）报告寻求医疗保健或住院，性别之间无显著差异。最常去医疗诊所寻求服务（75%），主要原因是类似流感的症状（32%），其次是对艾滋病毒的担忧（10%）。与女性相比，男性因避孕套破裂寻求医疗保健的可能性更高（8%对2%；p = 0.02）。相对于男性，希望获得一般医疗保健服务（85%对78%；p = 0.0091）、咨询服务（82%对70%；p<0.0001）和生殖健康服务（64%对5%；p = 0.02）的女性比例显著更高。
在访谈前6个月内，四分之一的青少年男女都获得了医疗服务。青少年报告了一般、生殖和咨询服务的可及性与需求之间的差距。建议提供综合的、适合青少年的、基于学校的健康服务来弥合这一差距。
