Evaluating an incentivised behaviour change intervention (IBCI), 2018-2019: Young women, aged 19-24 years - King Cetshwayo district, KwaZulu Natal

Description:
Topics covered in the questionnaire are: socio-demographic and family characteristics, participation in other programmes/ interventions, relationship status, knowledge of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, socially accepted practices, HIV prevention knowledge, pregnancy history, intimate partner violence, sexual risk behaviour, attitudes towards HIV, self-efficacy, social support systems and body-image.

The data set for dissemination contains 3061 cases and 509 variables.
Abstract:
Young women and girls (YWG) bear a disproportionate burden of HIV infection in South Africa; a country where an estimated 7.1 million people were living with HIV in 2016. A significant number of new infections (37%) occur in young women aged 15-24. This age cohort is also four times more vulnerable to HIV infection and is infected at earlier ages than their male peers. Although the epidemic in South Africa is characterised as generalized, there are specific at-risk groups who have higher HIV prevalence than the national average, including black African females aged 20-34 years with an HIV prevalence of 31.6%. South Africa's National Strategic Plan 2017-2022 identifies YWG as key affected populations at risk of HIV transmission and as critical beneficiaries of HIV prevention interventions. In South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal has the highest prevalence of HIV. Given this risk profile, the KwaZulu-Natal Province, with funding from the Global Fund is implementing a behaviour change empowerment incentivised intervention for young women aged 19-24 years. We conducted an intervention evaluation using a pre-post cohort quasi-experimental design to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the CPC intervention programme in improving behavioural outcomes in a sample of young women aged 19-24 years old. The objectives were firstly to measure whether exposure to and participation in CPC intervention is associated with reduction in HIV risk behaviour among young women aged 19-24 years and secondly to measure whether exposure to and participation in CPC intervention will lead to increased uptake of SRH services among young women aged 19-24 years.