Young people's perceptions of youth-oriented health services in urban Soweto, South Africa: a qualitative investigation.

BACKGROUND: In 2006, the South African Department of Health adopted and scaled-up loveLife's Youth Friendly Services (YFS) initiative to a national policy to improve youth utilization of health programmes by strengthening community sensitisation and counselling services. As these services roll-out, alternative services to target young people are also becoming more popular. Success of any of these services, however, is dependent upon young people's perceptions of these health services as a whole. This paper aims to examine the knowledge and perceptions of current health services oriented towards young people and examine potential alternative approaches to health service delivery. METHODS: The study was conducted in urban Soweto, South Africa. Twenty-five in-depth interviews were conducted between May-July 2012. Twenty-three of these were analysed according to modified grounded theory. RESULTS: Knowledge of YFS was very low with no thorough knowledge of the programme's purpose or activities. In general, young people were dissatisfied with the current health services in Soweto citing a lack of resources, long waiting times, and poor quality of care heightened by an underlying lack of choice and perceived inequity. When compared to alternative models of service delivery, no particular model was preferred over another. CONCLUSIONS: Greater knowledge of whether and to what extent local clinics in Soweto are implementing YFS standards is needed. If implemented, improved outreach and advertisement is suggested. In-service training of nurses should be prioritized with a focus on sensitivity and equitable treatment to all

Chemical Control of Crystal Growth with Multidentate Carboxylate Ligands: Effect of Ligand Denticity on Zinc Oxide Crystal Shape

Ligand denticity profoundly affects the ability of organic ligands to control crystal shape during aqueous crystallization of zinc oxide. A method is presented for rapidly screening the shape-control activity of organic molecules during zinc oxide crystallization. This method involves the solution-phase growth and isolation of zinc oxide crystals large enough to be quantified by optical microscopy. Crystals grown by this method were hexagonally prismatic with a rod-like morphology, but in the presence of multidentate carboxylate ligands, a platy morphology developed. By quantifying the aspect ratio of crystals as a function of ligand concentration, the shape-control activities of three carboxylate ligands were compared systematically. Shape control was strongest in a tridentate ligand (citrate), weaker in a bidentate ligand (malate), and absent in a monodentate ligand (glycolate). The effect of denticity, coupled with trends in crystal length and width, suggests that ligands alter the deposition rate on specific surfaces, possibly by binding to surface sites

The gender dimensions of social networks and help-seeking behaviors of young adults in Soweto, South Africa

Background: Young people constitute a major proportion of the general population and are influenced by a variety of factors, especially in regards to seeking help. An understanding of help-seeking behaviors among young people is important for designing and implementing effective targeted health services. Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 23 young adults aged 21–22 years in Soweto, South Africa, to explore the gender dimensions of social networks and help-seeking behaviors. Results: We found that young men had larger peer social networks than young women and that young women's social networks centered on their households. For general health, both young men and young women often sought help from an older, maternal figure. However, for sexual health, young men consulted their group of peers, whereas young women were more likely to seek information from one individual, such as an older female friend or family member. Conclusion: These differences in help-seeking behaviors have important implications for the delivery of health information in South Africa and how health promotion is packaged to young men and women, especially for sexual and reproductive health issues. Peer educators might be very effective at conveying health messages for young men, whereas women might respond better to health information presented in a more confidential setting either through community health workers or mHealth technologies. Provision of or linkage to health services that is consistent with young people's health-seeking behavior, such as using peer educators and community health care workers, may increase the reach and utilization of these services among young people

GWD Eradication Status and MDG Absolute Progress Report through 2010.

*<p>Total includes outbreak in Chad (10) and two cases reported by Ethiopia as imported from South Sudan.</p>**<p>South Sudan: Became an independent country in 2011. All GWD cases in 2010 and 2011 were reported in South Sudan.</p>***<p>Absolute Progress is defined by the MDG Report Card as the biggest positive change on the indicators, regardless of their initial conditions.</p

The Millennium Development Goals and Targets.

<p>The Millennium Development Goals and Targets.</p