Alcohol Use among School-Going Adolescents in Harare; Zimbabwe: Results from the 2003 Global School-Based Health Survey

Data from the Global School-Based Health Survey (2003) were analysed to estimate the proportions of relevant socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics. Of the 1997 students who participated in the survey; 15.6(17.1males and 14.0females) reported alcohol consumption. Factors associated with consumption of alcohol use were being worried; bullied; smoking cigarettes; truant; and lack of parental supervision. Students who were never worried were 49(AOR=0.51 [95CI (0.36; 0.72)]) less likely to consume alcohol compared to students who were most of the time or always worried. Similarly; students who were never bullied were 42(AOR=0.57 [95CI (0.42; 0.77)]) less likely to take alcohol compared to students who were bullied at least six times in the previous one month to the survey. Compared to students who smoked cigarettes; non-smokers were 71(AOR=0.29 [95CI (0.21; 0.41)]) less likely to consume alcohol. Compared to students who always received parental supervision; students who rarely received parental supervision were more likely (AOR=1.85 [95CI (1.19; 2.90)] to consume alcohol; and those students who sometimes received parental supervision were less likely (AOR=0.70 [95CI (0.50; 0.98)] to consume alcohol. There is a need to implement public health interventions with special attention to the determinants of alcohol consumption in this age group

University Students' Perspective of Sexual Harassment: a Case Study of the University of Zambia

Objectives: To determine if sexual harassment was a problem at the University of Zambia (UNZA); to explore UNZA student's perception on the nature of sexual harassment; and determine student's knowledge and understanding about sexual harassment. Design: A cross-sectional study across UNZA. Main outcomes: Occurrence of sexual harassment at UNZA; knowledge; perception and understanding of sexual harassment. Measure: A self-administered questionnaire was developed for the purpose of the study and piloted. The questionnaire included items on perceptions and understanding of sexual harassment; the nature of the environment at UNZA; frequency of the occurrence of sexual harassment; direct experiences and observations of sexual harassment; and formal and informal reporting of sexual harassment. Results: This study found that sexual harassment was a problem at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and female students were more likely to be affected. There was no gender difference on the knowledge about sexual harassment (p=0.27) but there was a significant gender difference in the perception of sexual harassment occurring at UNZA (?2 = 86.51; df= 1; p0.001); there were significantly more female students who perceived a lot of sexual harassment to be occurring at UNZA. More female students also perceived that students were likely to harass other students (p0.01) and students were likely to harass lecturers (p0.001). Conclusion: The problem of sexual harassment at UNZA should not be underestimated; among our recommendation is to formulate a policy on sexual harassment at UNZA

Higher Prevalence Rates of Smoking in Rural than Urban Areas among School-Going Adolescents in the Lusaka Province; Zambia

Objectives: The objective of the study was to compare prevalence rates of smoking in school-going adolescents among urban; peri-urban; and rural districts. Design: Secondary analysis of the Zambia Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GTYS) data of 2007. Main outcome measure: Tobacco smoking status. Results: Totals of 2378 adolescents in Lusaka urban; 1 7 5 6 in Ka f u e p e r-u r ba n ; a nd 1 38 6 i n Chongwe/Luangwa rural districts were enrolled into the study. Smoking rates were 10.5in urban; 11.1in peri-urban; and 13.5in rural districts. After adjusting for age; sex; grade; parental and best friend smoking status; and knowing that smoking is harmful to health; compared to adolescents in L u s a k a u r b a n d i s t r i c t ; a d o l e s c e n t s i n Chongwe/Luangwa rural districts were 17(AOR=1.17; 95CI [1.10; 1.23]) more likely to smoke cigarettes. No significant difference in smoking rates was observed between adolescents in urban and peri-urban districts. Conclusions: The prevalence rate of smoking among adolescents was higher in rural than urban district. Antismoking interventions should be more targeted to adolescents in rural than urban areas

Gender differences in university students' HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and sexual behaviours in Malawi: a pilot study

A cross-sectional study was conducted among first-year university students in Malawi to determine distributions of HIV/AIDSrelated knowledge; and sexual behaviours. A total of 314 (199 male and 115 female) students were eligible to participate; and of these 221 (70.4) participated in the survey. Generally; levels of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge were similar between sexes. Overall; 68.9of students of both sexes felt that they knew enough about HIV/AIDS. Altogether; 83.3of students reported that they knew where to access HIV testing on campus; but only 19.0reported that they knew their HIV status. Some 60.3of students who had never been tested intended to have an HIV test. A history of having ever been tested was not associated with sex. Most (68.4) students felt that they were not at risk of acquiring HIV infection. Overall; 66.8of students knew where to get a condom on campus; and 38.7stated that they knew exactly how to use it. About half (52.6) of the students used a condom at last vaginal sexual intercourse. Having multiple sex partners in the last 12 months was reported by 40.4of students

Socio-demographic Characteristics and Sexual Health Related Attitudes and Practices of Men Having Sex with Men in Central and Southern Malawi

An exploratory study of men having sex with men (MSM) was conducted in central and southern Malawi in order to understand their socio-demographic characteristics; sexual behaviours; and perceptions about confidentiality and stigma. A total of 97 men participated in the study of whom 84 (86.6) were in the age group 17-32 years. The majority; 73 (75.3) of MSM had never married; 26 (32.5) reported not always using condoms during sexual intercourse; and 23 (23.7) had ever received money or gifts in exchange of sex. Only 17 (17.5) of the participants reported being exposed to HIV prevention messages targeted at MSM. Fear of sexual orientation disclosure and discrimination were reported by 27 (30.7) of MSM. Many of the study participants reported that HIV intervention programmes are not accessible to them. In conclusion; HIV intervention programmes may not be reaching out to the majority of MSM. We suggest an exploration of the feasibility of HIV prevention interventions targeting MSM in this country where the practice is illegal

Prevalence and Correlates of Cigarette Smoking among Adolescents in Malawi: Results from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2005

The majority of adults who smoke cigarettes initiated the habit when they were adolescents or young adults. While rates of smoking and associated factors are known among 13-15 year olds in Malawi; correlates of cigarette smoking among adolescents in a national representative sample in Malawi have not been studied. We; therefore; carried out this study to estimate the prevalence of current smoking and determine its correlates in a nationally representative sample of in-school adolescents in Malawi. An analysis of the Malawi Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2005 was conducted. Using logistic regression analysis; we estimated the association between current cigarette smoking and potential explanatory variables. Overall; 2.5of adolescents (3.2among males; and 1.8among females) were current cigarette smokers. Smoking among parents was 9.6with no significant difference between males and females (10.3versus 10.1). Stronger associations with smoking were observed for friends smoking status (AOR=3.07; 95CI 2.99; 3.16); receiving pocket money (AOR=3.06; 95CI 2.98; 3.14); and perception that smoking increases body weight (AOR=2.98; 95CI 2.81; 3.16). Students who thought that cigarette smoking is harmful to health were 56(AOR=0.44; 95CI 0.43; 0.45) less likely to smoke than students who thought otherwise. Despite being the world's second leading grower of tobacco; the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adolescent is lower than has been reported elsewhere

Choice of Place for Childbirth: Prevalence and Correlates of Utilization of Health Facilities in Chongwe District; Zambia

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and correlates for utilization of health facilities for childbirth in a rural Chongwe district; Zambia. Design: A cross sectional study was carried among 250 mothers who had delivered babies within one year prior to the survey. A Backward multiple logistic regression method was used to determine independent predictors for utilization of health services for childbirth. Main Outcome Measures: Percent utilization of health facilities. Results: A total of 250 mothers were recruited into the study; of whom the majority were below the age of 25 year (41.2) and were married (84.0). A third (32.8) of the mothers were not able to read and write. The rate of health facility utilization for childbirth was 42.8. Independent predictors for utilization of a health facility were place of last childbirth; and knowledge that traditional birth attendants (TBAs) are given none food items (excluding money) after assisting delivery. Compared to mothers who delivered their last pregnancy At a health facility; mothers who had their last childbirth at home were 85(AOR=0.15; 95CI [0.10; 0.22]) less likely to deliver their current pregnancy at a health facility. Knowledge that a TBA was given none food Items (excluding money) after assisting delivery was negatively associated with delivery at a health facility (AOR=0.55; 95CI [0.37; 0.83]). Conclusion: The importance of giving birth at a health facility should be communicated to mothers who give birth at home; during postnatal visits or clinic outreach sessions

Tobacco Smoking Prevalence among in-School Adolescents Aged 13-15 years: Baseline for Evaluation of the Implementation of the FCTC in Lusaka district; Zambia

Background: Tobacco use is a major public health concern worldwide. Zambia has been controlling tobacco use in terms of legislative interventions; and acceding to the World Health organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The study was aimed to determine the baseline prevalence of current smoking to be used in the evaluation of the implementation of the WHO FCTC. Methods: Survey data from the 2002 and 2007 Global Youth Tobacco Surveys (GYTS) were used to estimate the prevalence of tobacco use. The standard protocol for GYTS was used in the surveys; and only data for students aged 13 to 15 years was used in the analysis. Data were analyzed using SUDAAN (Research Triangle institute); and SPSS (version 11.5) software packages. Weighted analysis was used to produce estimates together with their 95confidence intervals (CI). Results: The current cigarette smokers were 9.2in 2002 and 6.8in 2007 (p0.05); with an overall rate of 7.4(95CI [7.1; 7.7]). No significant difference in current cigarette smoking rates was observed between sexes. However; compared to students of age 15 years; those of ages 13 and 14 years were less likely to be current smokers (AOR=0.82; 95CI [0.77; 0.88]) for 13 years; and AOR=0.90; 95CI [0.85; 0.96] for 14 years). Conclusion: The results of this study show that Lusaka district is in the first stage of the tobacco epidemic. There is urgent need; guided by the WHO FCTC; for effective interventions to be put in place before the epidemic becomes unmanageable

Knowledge; Attitudes and Compliance With Tuberculosis Treatment; Lusaka; Zambia

More than 1.5 million TB cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa every year. Lack of compliance to TB treatment has contributed to the steady rise of TB incidence in Zambia. The prevalence of TB was 511 per 100;000 populations in 2000. Much of the increase in incidence has been attributed to co-infection with HIV; there are HIV rates of 70-80in TB patients Objectives: To determine knowledge; attitude and compliance with TB treatment by PTB patients attending chest clinic at a tertiary hospital. Design and Measures: A descriptive study was conducted on a convenience sample of 104 pulmonary PTB patients receiving health care at chest clinic of a tertiary hospital in Lusaka; Zambia. An Interview Schedule comprising of four sections (d e m o g r a p h i c ; k n o w l e d g e ; a t t i t u d e ; a n d compliance) was used to collect data. Results: A total of 104 respondents aged 18 to 66 years took part in the study. Forty-nine percent were female; 51.9were married and 42.3had primary education only. About half of the respondents (49) had no monthly income and majority of those with no income were female. Two thirds of the respondents (76) lived in high-density areas. Half of the respondents (49) had average knowledge of TB treatment. Majority of the respondents (89.4) had positive attitude towards TB treatment rating high in all the attitude subscales; 74in commitment; 84.6in challenge and 55.8in control. Most of the respondents' (80.8) reported complying with TB treatment regimens. There was a positive relationship between compliance and attitude; indicating that as the level of attitude increases; compliance level also increases (r = 0.59; p 0.001). The results further showed that there was a significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitude (r

Prevalence and Determinants of ever Smoked Cigarettes among School-Going Adolescents in Lusaka; Zambia

Background: Cigarette smoking is the single most important preventable cause of non-infectious diseases. There is limited data on adolescent smoking and its determinants in developing countries. Methods: Further analysis was done on data collected in the Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted among school-going adolescents in Lusaka; Zambia in 2002. Weighted logistic regression analyses were performed to determine associations between selected explanatory factors and ever smoked cigarettes. Results: A total of 2175 students participated in the study out of which 40.1(95CI 39.5-40.7) had ever smoked cigarettes. The prevalence of ever smoked cigarettes was 43.4(95CI 42.6-44.2) among boys; and 35.6(95CI 34.8-36.4) among girls; (p0.001). Among both boys and girls; history of having ever smoked cigarettes was associated with having a parent or closest friend who smoked. Among girls only; exposure to pro-tobacco advertisement and positive perception towards smoking were associated with ever smoked cigarettes. Adolescent girls who doubted that smoking was harmful to their health were more likely to have ever smoked. Conclusions: Public health interventions aimed to prevent teenage adolescent smoking should incorporate a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of smoking

Determinants of contraceptive knowledge among teenagers in Zimbabwe

An analysis was conducted using the Zimbabwe 1994 demographic health survey data to determine social and demographic factors associated with the knowledge of contraceptive methods among teenagers. The sample comprised of 1486 teenagers. The condom (89.1) and the pill (88.8) were the most commonly known contraceptive methods . Teenagers with up to seven years of education were 90(95CI 60to 98) and 84(95CI 58to 93) less likely to have the knowledge of the condom and the pill; respectively; compared to teenagers who had 11 or 12 years of education. Compared to teenagers who were not sexually active; teenagers who were sexually active were 2.94 ((95CI 1.94 to 4.46) and 4.33 (95CI 2.73 to 6.86) times more likely to have the knowledge of the condom and the pill; respectively. Listening to the radio everyday was associated with the knowledge of the condom (OR = 1.65; 95CI 1.07 to 2.55) and the pill. (OR= 1.51;95CI 1.04 to 2.21). Watching television every week was only associated with the condom knowledge (OR = 2.81; 95CI 1.47 to 5.39). In conclusion; sex education in schools should start early before girls become sexually active. Continued use of electronic media to disseminate information on contraceptives is strongly recommended