Makiwane Monde, Mokomane Zitha
a Child, Youth, Family and Social Development , Human Sciences Research Council , Private Bag X41 , Pretoria , 0001 , South Africa.
Afr J AIDS Res. 2010 Apr;9(1):17-24. doi: 10.2989/16085906.2010.484538.
Despite their high levels of knowledge about HIV and AIDS, young people ages 15-24 years in South Africa remain disproportionately affected by the epidemic. Young people's continued susceptibility to HIV infection has been consistently linked to intractable higher-risk sexual behaviours. This paper uses multivariate techniques and secondary data from two nationally representative surveys to illuminate individual and socio-structural factors that play a significant role in youths' continued engagement in higher-risk behaviour, despite their high awareness about HIV and AIDS. The findings show that notwithstanding progress in terms of increased condom use and reduced incidence of other sexually transmitted infections, the average age of sexual debut remains low, multiple sexual partnerships are prevalent, and inconsistent condom use is widespread among young people. Factors significantly associated with these risk behaviours occur at the individual and structural levels and include issues of race, gender, poverty and susceptibility to peer pressure. The paper concludes by recommending that future HIV-prevention interventions in South Africa should aim at building resilience among youths by promoting affirmative, supportive interventions that emphasize the potentials of young people.
尽管南非15至24岁的年轻人对艾滋病毒和艾滋病有较高的认知水平，但他们受这一流行病的影响程度仍然极高。年轻人持续易感染艾滋病毒的情况一直与难以改变的高风险性行为有关。本文运用多变量技术以及来自两项全国代表性调查的二手数据，以阐明尽管年轻人对艾滋病毒和艾滋病有较高认知，但在他们持续参与高风险行为过程中发挥重要作用的个人因素和社会结构因素。研究结果表明，尽管在增加避孕套使用和降低其他性传播感染发病率方面取得了进展，但首次性行为的平均年龄仍然较低，多个性伴侣的情况普遍存在，年轻人中避孕套使用不一致的现象也很普遍。与这些风险行为显著相关的因素出现在个人和结构层面，包括种族、性别、贫困以及易受同伴压力影响等问题。本文最后建议，南非未来的艾滋病毒预防干预措施应旨在通过促进强调年轻人潜力的积极、支持性干预措施，增强年轻人的适应能力。
