Acceptability and feasibility of a school-based contraceptive clinic in a low-income community in South Africa
Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
Aim: To investigate how acceptable and feasible a school-based contraceptive clinic (SBCC) would be in a low-income South African community.
Background: Teenage pregnancy is an important issue in South Africa, with significant health and social consequences. Issues regarding lack of confidentiality in an intimate community, unwelcoming health workers, long distances to clinics and perceptions of contraceptive side effects may all inhibit
contraceptive use by adolescents. Although SBCC has been initiated and investigated in other countries, this approach is inadequately researched in South Africa.
Methods: A mixed method study was conducted to assess the attitudes of one community towards establishment of an SBCC in their area. Methods of data collection included: focus group discussions (FGDs) with teenage girls from a local high school; a key informant interview with the school principal; a
structured survey, including open-ended questionnaires with randomly selected parents of teenage girls from the same community; and a documentary analysis to explore relevant legal and policy considerations.
Findings: Teenage girls, the school principal and parents with teenage daughters largely supported the idea of an SBCC, but with concerns about confidentiality, the possibility of increased promiscuity and contraceptive side effects. While legal statutes and
policies in South Africa do not pose any barriers to the establishment of an SBCC, some logistical barriers remain.
Description
CITATION: Khoza, N., Zulu, P. & Shung-King, M. 2019. Acceptability and feasibility of a school-based contraceptive clinic in a low-income community in South Africa. Primary Health Care Research & Development, 20:e22, doi:10.1017/S1463423618000762.
The original publication is available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/primary-health-care-research-and-development/
The original publication is available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/primary-health-care-research-and-development/
Keywords
Teenage pregnancy -- South Africa, Contraceptives -- South Africa
Citation
Khoza, N., Zulu, P. & Shung-King, M. 2019. Acceptability and feasibility of a school-based contraceptive clinic in a low-income community in South Africa. Primary Health Care Research & Development, 20:e22, doi:10.1017/S1463423618000762