Factors contributing to high HIV and AIDS prevalence : development of a multifaceted theoretical model

South Africa is estimated to have about 7.06 million of the global HIV/AIDS infections of 36.7 million people in 2017 (UNAIDS, 2017a; Statistics South Africa, 2017). It is estimated that 19.2 percent of South Africans of ages 15 to 59 were infected with HIV/AIDS in 2015 (UNAIDS, 2015a). In South Africa, Gauteng province had the fifth highest HIV and AIDS prevalence in 2012 (Human Sciences Research Council, 2014). There is a need to reduce HIV infections amongst adolescents in Gauteng province of South Africa. The study focused on developing a model of factors contributing to high HIV and AIDS prevalence amongst adolescents in Gauteng province of South Africa. To establish the specific model, the researcher elicited learners‟ perceptions of contributing factors to adolescents‟ high HIV and AIDS. Various individual models used to design interventions in South Africa had been criticised. In this study, three of these models were explored; the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Information Motivation Behaviour Skills Model and the Social Ecology Theory. These three models were integrated into a new model to determine the applicability of interventions based on each model, as well as to find out other factors that contribute to HIV infection besides behaviour. This was done to fill the gap of the narrow perspectives and non-lasting effects of each model based intervention. In this study a qualitative research method was used. The study was influenced by, but not exclusively based on Grounded Theory. Purposive and convenient sampling methods were used to identify Grade 11 learners (n=24) in three high schools in Gauteng province. However, 15 Grade 11 learners were the actual sample size that provided information that addressed the purpose of the study. Data was collected using semi structured interviews. The results were analysed using initial and focused coding and comparative analysis. Results were situated in the context of these three existing models. Findings show that intentions, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, knowledge and social ecology settings were contributing factors to adolescents‟ high HIV and AIDS prevalence in Gauteng province. In addition, novel findings extended the existing definitions of intentions, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, knowledge and social ecology settings. Consequently, the researcher developed a new multifaceted theoretical model to describe those factors that participants regarded as contributing factors to the high HIV and AIDS prevalence amongst adolescents. This model may describe HIV and AIDS behavioural studies and prevention more effectively than existing models, although the study did not include the development of interventions to test the model. Policy makers, researchers, educators and adolescents may use findings of this study. It is hoped that the model would be useful for the scholarship pertaining to HIV and AIDS studies and prevention.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017.Science, Mathematics and Technology EducationPhDUnrestricte

Validation of coronavirus-2019 phobia scale using preschool practitioners in urban and rural communities in Nigeria Implication for educational sociologists

Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) emerged in December 2019, causing significant changes in people’s social lives and other human activities. The outbreak halted educational activities throughout the world. The Nigerian experience was unique in that most people were skeptical about the pandemic’s existence. This practice contributed to the Nigerian people’s fear of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, in Nigeria, there has never been a validated or established Covid-19 phobia scale, necessitating this study. This study was a pure validation study on COVID-19 phobia scale (C19PS). The study area was south-east states and a sample of 386 preschool practitioners in urban and rural communities of South East States, Nigeria participated in the study. The eligibility criteria include being a preschool teacher and demonstrating signs of COVID-19 phobia. The validation of the C19PS was done by subjecting the data gathered to principal axis factoring analysis with varimax rotation. The model fit for the data was tested using root mean square error of approximation and comparative fit index. It was found that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of .845 for the measure of the adequacy of the sample size. There was also a significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (P<.05). This implies that the correlation matrix for the C19PS is not an identity matrix. It was revealed that C19PS had good overall reliability (a=.896) and model fit (Root mean square error of approximation=.042, comparative fit index=.943) in a sample of Nigerian preschool practitioners. As a result, C19PS was recommended as a trustworthy tool for identifying persons who suffer from COVID-19 phobia.https://www.journals.elsevier.com/medicineam2023Science, Mathematics and Technology Educatio