Knowledge of HIV And/or AIDS and HIV Testing Services Among Young Men in South Africa

Overview

Journal Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med

Specialty Public Health

Date 2023 Aug 1

PMID 37526557

Authors

Sithembiso M S Ndlovu

Andrew Ross

James Ndirangu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The youth is at a heightened risk of immunodeficiency virus and/or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV and/or AIDS) infection because of risk-taking behaviour. There remains a gap in understanding young men's knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS and HIV testing services (HTS) in hard-to-reach communities in South Africa.

Aim: This article aimed to explore young men's knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS, including HTS in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

Setting: Rural and peri-urban areas around the town of Ladysmith.

Methods: Employing a qualitative descriptive research design, 17 young men aged between 18 and 30 years were purposively and conveniently sampled and interviewed using WhatsApp and landline audio calls to collect their data, which was thematically analysed.

Results: Young men had good knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS but lacked knowledge about HTS and HIV self-testing (HIVST). They obtained their information about HIV and/or AIDS and HTS from various sources and were aware of where to access HTS. They were generally unaware and supportive of HIVST.

Conclusion: Male-targeted HIV and/or AIDS knowledge and testing interventions are needed to encourage and support young men to test for HIV. Human immunodeficiency virus self-testing should be explored as an alternative to clinic-based service to encourage young men to know their status, specifically those with limited access to or are reluctant to attend clinics. Strengthening HIV and/or AIDS education could facilitate better decision-making towards HIV testing among young men.Contribution: This study contributes to an understanding of young adult men's knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS and HTS in underserved settings in South Africa.

Citing Articles

Young men's barriers to and facilitators of utilising HIV-testing services in South Africa.

Ndlovu S, Ross A, Ndirangu J South Afr J HIV Med. 2025; 26(1):1631.

PMID: 39967755 PMC: 11830864. DOI: 10.4102/sajhivmed.v26i1.1631.

A surge in female condom distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic in Gauteng province, South Africa.

Fonka C, Christofides N Contracept Reprod Med. 2025; 10(1):4.

PMID: 39825413 PMC: 11740479. DOI: 10.1186/s40834-024-00329-0.

References

Yaya S, Bishwajit G, Danhoundo G, Seydou I . Extent of Knowledge about HIV and Its Determinants among Men in Bangladesh. Front Public Health. 2016; 4:246. PMC: 5093132. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2016.00246. View

Bay M, Freitas M, Lucas M, Souza E, Roncalli A . HIV testing and HIV knowledge among men who have sex with men in Natal, Northeast Brazil. Braz J Infect Dis. 2019; 23(1):2-7. PMC: 9427798. DOI: 10.1016/j.bjid.2019.01.003. View

Kharsany A, Cawood C, Lewis L, Yende-Zuma N, Khanyile D, Puren A . Trends in HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Incidence in a Hyperendemic Area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. JAMA Netw Open. 2019; 2(11):e1914378. PMC: 6826647. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14378. View

Bwalya C, Simwinga M, Hensen B, Gwanu L, Hangandu A, Mulubwa C . Social response to the delivery of HIV self-testing in households: experiences from four Zambian HPTN 071 (PopART) urban communities. AIDS Res Ther. 2020; 17(1):32. PMC: 7288417. DOI: 10.1186/s12981-020-00287-y. View

Asante K . HIV/AIDS knowledge and uptake of HIV counselling and testing among undergraduate private university students in Accra, Ghana. Reprod Health. 2013; 10:17. PMC: 3623656. DOI: 10.1186/1742-4755-10-17. View

Hlongwa M, Mashamba-Thompson T, Makhunga S, Hlongwana K . Barriers to HIV testing uptake among men in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review. Afr J AIDS Res. 2020; 19(1):13-23. DOI: 10.2989/16085906.2020.1725071. View

Maheu-Giroux M, Tanser F, Boily M, Pillay D, Joseph S, Barnighausen T . Determinants of time from HIV infection to linkage-to-care in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. AIDS. 2017; 31(7):1017-1024. PMC: 5859256. DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001435. View

Faust L, Yaya S . The effect of HIV educational interventions on HIV-related knowledge, condom use, and HIV incidence in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2018; 18(1):1254. PMC: 6234686. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-6178-y. View

Jung M, Arya M, Viswanath K . Effect of media use on HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and condom use in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2013; 8(7):e68359. PMC: 3709989. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068359. View

10.

Harrison A, Colvin C, Kuo C, Swartz A, Lurie M . Sustained High HIV Incidence in Young Women in Southern Africa: Social, Behavioral, and Structural Factors and Emerging Intervention Approaches. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2015; 12(2):207-15. PMC: 4430426. DOI: 10.1007/s11904-015-0261-0. View

11.

Akullian A, Vandormael A, Miller J, Bershteyn A, Wenger E, Cuadros D . Large age shifts in HIV-1 incidence patterns in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021; 118(28). PMC: 8285891. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2013164118. View

12.

Bekker L, Rebe K, Venter F, Maartens G, Moorhouse M, Conradie F . Southern African guidelines on the safe use of pre-exposure prophylaxis in persons at risk of acquiring HIV-1 infection. South Afr J HIV Med. 2018; 17(1):455. PMC: 5843155. DOI: 10.4102/sajhivmed.v17i1.455. View

13.

Kirakoya-Samadoulougou F, Jean K, Maheu-Giroux M . Uptake of HIV testing in Burkina Faso: an assessment of individual and community-level determinants. BMC Public Health. 2017; 17(1):486. PMC: 5441086. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-017-4417-2. View

14.

van Rooyen H, Barnabas R, Baeten J, Phakathi Z, Joseph P, Krows M . High HIV testing uptake and linkage to care in a novel program of home-based HIV counseling and testing with facilitated referral in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2013; 64(1):e1-8. PMC: 3744613. DOI: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e31829b567d. View

15.

Aloni M, Mbago M, Sichona F . Understanding The Combined Effects Of The Knowledge Of HIV/AIDS Prevention Methods On Condom Use: A Case Of Njombe And Tanga Regions Of Mainland Tanzania. HIV AIDS (Auckl). 2019; 11:265-274. PMC: 6826185. DOI: 10.2147/HIV.S210758. View

16.

Hamilton A, Thompson N, Choko A, Hlongwa M, Jolly P, Korte J . HIV Self-Testing Uptake and Intervention Strategies Among Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review. Front Public Health. 2021; 9:594298. PMC: 7933016. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.594298. View

17.

Staunton C, Tschigg K, Sherman G . Data protection, data management, and data sharing: Stakeholder perspectives on the protection of personal health information in South Africa. PLoS One. 2021; 16(12):e0260341. PMC: 8687565. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260341. View

18.

Tetteh J, Frimpong J, Budu E, Adu C, Mohammed A, Ahinkorah B . Comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge and HIV testing among men in sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel modelling. J Biosoc Sci. 2021; 54(6):975-990. DOI: 10.1017/S0021932021000560. View

19.

Harichund C, Moshabela M, Kunene P, Abdool Karim Q . Acceptability of HIV self-testing among men and women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. AIDS Care. 2018; 31(2):186-192. DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2018.1503638. View

20.

Wong H, Tam H, Chan D, Lee S . Usage and acceptability of HIV self-testing in men who have sex with men in Hong Kong. AIDS Behav. 2014; 19(3):505-15. DOI: 10.1007/s10461-014-0881-1. View