African Population Studies (UAPS) / Etude de la Population Africaine (UEPA)
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Does correct knowledge about HIV and AIDS lead to safer sexual behaviour? The case of young people in Botswana
Get PDFThis article investigates the extent to which acquired correct knowledge about HIV and AIDS prevention and transmission is translated into protective sexual behaviours among young people in Botswana. This research uses a nationally representative sample of the Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS) conducted in 2004. The sample for the current study was limited to all people aged 10-24 who had completed the individual questionnaire of BAIS and have had sexual intercourse at the time of the survey. Both bivariate and multiple regression analyses are used to investigate the topic. The results from both bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate that a consistent and significant predictor of safe sex behaviours among young people is the knowledge that something can be done to prevent becoming infected with HIV. In the multivariate analysis, knowledge that people cannot get HIV because of witchcraft is significantly associated with the likelihood to report safe sexual behaviours whilst knowledge that a person cannot get infected with HIV through mosquito bites is significantly associated with decreased odds of reporting safe sexual behaviours. The study concludes that although correct knowledge of HIV/ AIDS prevention and transmission methods does not necessarily translate into safe sexual behaviours, some knowledge of HIV prevention and transmission methods among young people is associated with safe sexual behaviours. There are other predictors of safe sexual behaviours other than HIV-related knowledge of prevention measures. Further research that combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches is needed to clarify the exact nature of how knowledge of HIV and AIDS prevention and transmission influences protective sex behaviours. The research should also explore the role played by these unknown factors in predicting safe sex behaviours.Résumé Cet article examine dans quelle mesure les acquis correcte sur la prévention du VIH et du SIDA et transmission est traduite en protection des comportements sexuels parmi les jeunes au Botswana. Cette recherche utilise un échantillon représentatif au niveau national de le Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS) menée en 2004. L'échantillon pour l'étude actuelle a été limitée à tous les gens âgés de 10 à 24 ans, qui avait rempli le questionnaire individuel de BAIS et ont eu des relations sexuelles au moment de l'enquête. Les deux bivariée et plusieurs analyses de régression servent à enquêter sur le sujet. Les résultats des analyses multidimensionnelles tant bivariées indiquent qu'un prédicteur cohérente et significative des comportements safe sex chez les jeunes est la connaissance que quelque chose peut être faite pour empêcher l'infection par le VIH. Dans l'analyse multivariable, connaissance que les personnes ne peut pas obtenir penvent VIH en raison de la sorcellerie est fortement associé à la probabilité de comportements sexuels sécuritaire de rapport tandis que les connaissances qu'une personne ne peut pas obtenir infectée par le VIH par le biais de piqûres est considérablement associé à odds diminution des rapports des comportements sexuels en toute sécurité. L'étude conclut que, bien que la bonne connaissance des méthodes de prévention et de la transmission du VIH/SIDA ne se traduit pas nécessairement par les comportements sexuels en toute sécurité, certaines connaissances de prévention du VIH et de méthodes de transmission parmi les jeunes est associée à des comportements sexuels en toute sécurité. Il existe des autres indicateurs de sécurité des comportements sexuels autres que les connaissances liient au VIH de mesures de prévention. D'autres recherches qui combinent la fois qualitative et quantitative sont nécessaire de préciser la nature exacte du comment connaissance de prévention du VIH et du SIDA et de la transmission influe sur les comportements sexuels de protection. La recherche devrait examiner également le rôle joué par ces facteurs inconnus en prévision des comportements safe sex.Mots clés : Botswana jeunes ; le VIH/SIDA ; comportement sexuel ; prévention ; transmission
Improving knowledge on child abandonment and care in Africa: A demographic contribution to the achievement of child protection
Get PDFCarrying out a focused literature review on child abandonment and care in Africa, this paper aims to show that the understanding of this question remains very incomplete, the classification of situations is unsettled and their measurement is lacking in terms of both prevalence and trends. Argumentation is founded on a conceptual framework that gives a central place to the concept of disruption in the process of childcare, and that suggests determinant factors causing disruption and possible responses from families or from institutions. Some socio-cultural and economic factors highlight disruptions in the process of child care. Responses to these disruptions are largely familial, but also institutional. Some circumstances can lead to abandonment or child endangerment. The anthropology of infancy gives a great deal of information on cultural and social foundations of abandonment and on family systems of child circulation. Child demography remains focused on mortality, nutrition, education and birth registration. Demographic analyses give few answers on disruption in child care. It appears important today to improve data collection in order to better understand 1) child status in the family and mechanisms of solidarity that involve children; 2) issues concerning street children and working children; 3) situation of child endangerment outside as well as inside the family. Thus, progress of social science research, particularly in demography, on these issues in Africa would give important results necessary for improving policies regarding child protection. Résumé S’appuyant sur une revue de la littérature sur l’abandon et la prise en charge des enfants en Afrique, cet article vise à montrer que cette problématique n’est pas explorée en profondeur, que la diversité des situations est mal connue et que les mesures font défaut, tant en terme de prévalence que de tendance. L’argumentation se base sur un cadre conceptuel qui accorde une place centrale à la rupture de prise en charge de l’enfant. Les déterminants de ces ruptures sont discutés ainsi que les réponses possibles apportées par la famille ou les institutions. Des facteurs socio-culturels et économiques permettent de comprendre les situations de rupture de prise en charge de l’enfant. Les réponses à ces ruptures sont avant tout familiales, mais aussi parfois institutionnelles. Certaines circonstances conduisent à des situations d’abandon ou de mise en danger de l’enfant. L’anthropologie de l’enfance apporte de nombreux éléments sur les fondements culturels de l’abandon et sur les systèmes familiaux de circulation des enfants en Afrique. Les analyses démographiques, quant à elles, sont centrées sur la mortalité, la nutrition, la scolarisation et l’enregistrement des naissances, et apportent peu d’éléments sur les situations de ruptures de prises en charge des enfants. Il est nécessaire aujourd’hui d’améliorer la collecte de données pour mieux comprendre 1) le statut de l’enfant dans la famille et les mécanismes d’entraide qui impliquent les enfants ; 2) les situations des enfants des rues et des enfants travailleurs ; 3) les situations de mises en danger de l’enfant en dehors comme au sein de la famille. Ainsi, la recherche en science sociale, particulièrement en démographie sur la question de la prise en charge de l’enfant en Afrique apporterait des éléments importants pour l’amélioration des politiques de protection de l’enfant en cours dans ces pays.Mots clés : Abandon d'enfants; orphelins; infanticide; rupture de prise en charge; Afrique
Levels of mortality of the South African aged population using the method of extinct generations
Get PDFAbstract This paper investigates the reasons for the levelling off of the mortality estimates at the oldest age groups and the possibility of estimating the level of the mortality rates at these ages.The research applies the method of extinct generations to estimate indirectly the population numbers at the oldest-old age groups (75 to 100+) using data on reported deaths alone, and hence, the mortality rates. After observing that the estimated mortality rates are levelling off with age at the advanced ages (age 90 to 100+) due to age exaggeration in both the deaths and the population, the Gompertz curve was fitted to the estimated mortality rates at age groups 75, 80 and 85. Our estimates are generally lower but close to the estimates derived by Dorrington et al., (2004) and the estimates from the United Nations Population Division (UNPD) and the US Census Bureau (USCB) population projections.Keywords: Old age mortality; extinct generations; age exaggeration; completeness; South AfricaRésumé Cet article examine les raisons de la stabilisation des estimations de la mortalité des groupes d’âgede plus vieux et la possibilité d’estimer le niveau de taux de mortalité à ces âges. La recherche applique la méthode des générations éteintespour estimer indirectement les nombres de la population des groupes d’age de plus vieux (75 à 100+) en utilisant seuls les données sur lesdécèsrapportés et donc le taux de mortalité. Après avoir abservé que le taux de mortalité estimés sont nivellés avec l'âge à des âges avancés (âge 90 à 100+) dû à l’exaggeration dans les décès ainsi que dans la poplation, la courbe de Gompertz était ajusté au taux de mortalité estimé aux groupes d’age 75, 80, 85. Nos estimations sont généralement plus faibles mais à proximités des estimations dérivées par Dorrington et al., (2004) et les estimations de la Division de la Population des Nations Unies (UNPD: United Nations Population Division) et le projection de populations du Bureau du recensement des États-Unis (USCB: US Census Bureau)
Training of population specialists for Africa’s needs: Past, current and future
Get PDFAfrica has been training population specialists since the early 1960s, following some countries’ acquiring political independence. The training has consisted of undergraduate degrees, post-graduate diplomas, masters, doctorates and postdoctorates at regional and national institutions as well as centres found outside the continent. Achievements of the training programme over several decades have included many population specialists trained and helping in implementing the population related projects in the region and building the capacity of several African population training centres. Challenges have consisted of inadequate financial support from development partners and regional and national governments, lack of scholarships for students, scarce research grants for staff and students, development partners’ related issues, problems related to national and regional governments, lack of interest in supporting training of technical demographers, limitation of infrastructure for training, shortage of qualified trainers and unemployment of graduates in population studies. It is recommended that national governments and regional agencies provide core financing of African population training centres and only mobilize donor funding as supplementary. More focus should be directed to advanced research training to ensure that qualified population specialists lost to the brain drain and other factors are continuously replaced. African training institutions need to be more innovative and create new opportunities of sustainability when the support being received is stopped
Fertility preferences and contraceptive use among couples in sub-Saharan Africa
Get PDFFertility remains high and contraceptive use is low in much of sub-Saharan Africa despite high levels of unmet need for contraception and clear evidence of excess fertility. Using data from recent Demographic and Health Surveys this paper revisits the issue of gender differences in fertility goals, and how these differences may contribute to the lack of substantial declines in fertility in the region. The results show that most spouses agreed with respect to their fertility preferences, whether in terms of desired number of children or desire for a future birth. When there were disagreements, men tended to want more children than their spouses. In most countries, contraceptive use among couples was not associated with differences in spouses’ desires for a future birth. However, for the few countries where a significant association was observed, couples were less likely to be using a method when the wife wanted to have more children and more likely to be using one when she wanted to stop childbearing. To ensure open and sustained use of contraception within a union, family planning programs must continue to involve men by helping them understand the importance of fewer and well spaced births for the health of women and their children
Headship of older persons in the context of HIV/AIDS in rural South Africa
Get PDFThis paper examines older persons’ positions as heads of households in the Agincourt sub-district of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Older people’s access to non-contributory pensions in a context of AIDS-related chronic illness and premature death might increase their household responsibilities which, in turn, may be manifested in higher rates of household headship. We use descriptive analysis to outline the traits of household heads, compare household characteristics, in particular recent mortality experience, across headship types (male/female, pre/ post-pension eligibility). While some significant differences in household composition exist across headship types, older persons were no more likely to be heading households with a HIV/AIDS-related death over the 2000-2005 period—prior to extensive antiretroviral (ARV) rollout. This provides an important starting point for further investigations aimed at understanding the impact of HIV/AIDS on older persons’ lives, and as a baseline for measuring the effects of ARV rollout on older persons’ status in AIDS-endemic communities
Gender, education, and the labour market in Kinshasa
Get PDFAbstract This paper uses data from a 2004 survey to study the labour market in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In a context characterized by protracted poor economic performance going back to the mid-1970s and especially severe economic problems in the 1990s, women have become increasingly involved in the labour market and educational attainment of both men and women has increased. The paper examines labour market outcomes, with emphasis on differences by gender and education. Using descriptive and multivariate analyses, we examine labour force participation and labour force status (employed, modern sector; employed, informal sector; unemployed; out of the labour force), first by age and gender and then by education and gender. Our results highlight the difficulties well-educated men and women confront in finding employment in the modern sector, as well as gender differences in favour of males in access to employment in the modern sector.Keywords: Labour market; gender; education; modern sector; informal sector; employment; unemploymentResumé Cet article se base sur les données d’une enquête effectuée en 2004, portant sur le marché du travail dans la ville de Kinshasa, capitale de la République Démocratique du Congo. Dans un contexte caractérisé par une longue période de récession remontant au milieu des années 1970 et de graves problèmes économiques depuis les années 1990, les femmes occupent une part de plus en plus importante sur le marché du travail, tandis que le niveau global d’instruction des hommes et des femmes ne cesse de s’améliorer. Cet article met en lumière les caractéristiques du marché du travail dans la ville de Kinshasa, en mettant un accent particulier sur les différences selon le sexe et le niveau d’instruction. A l’aide d’analyses descriptives et multivariées, nous examinons l’activité économique et le statut sur le marché du travail (employé dans le secteur formel, employé dans le secteur informel, chômeur, inactif), d’abord selon l’âge et le sexe et ensuite selon le niveau d’instruction et le sexe. Nos résultats mettent en évidence les difficultés auxquelles sont confrontés les hommes et les femmes les plus instruits à la recherche d’un emploi dans le secteur formel, aussi bien que l’avantage qu’ont les hommes sur les femmes d’accéder à un emploi dans le secteur formel
Rising popularity of injectable contraceptives in sub-Saharan Africa
Get PDFInjectable contraceptives are fast becoming the method of choice among married women in sub-Saharan Africa. In several countries in the region, the proportion of women using injectable methods has surpassed the proportion of women using the pill. This is true even in some countries where the pill had been the most popular modern method in the 1980s and 1990s. This paper analyzes data from six sub-Saharan African countries that have participated four or more times in the Demographic and Health Surveys program to investigate recent increases in prevalence of injectable contraceptives and identify factors that drive the increase. It discusses the programmatic implications of this trend for the region, especially in terms of contraceptive security and sustainability
Uncertain future, non-numeric preferences, and the fertility transition: A case studyof rural Mozambique
Get PDFIn many high-fertility countries, and especially in sub-Saharan Africa, substantial proportions of women give non-numeric responses when asked about desired family size. Demographic transition theory has interpreted responses of “don’t know” or “up to God” as evidence of fatalistic attitudes toward childbearing. Alternatively, these responses can be understood as meaningful reactions to uncertainty about the future. Following this latter approach, we use data from rural Mozambique to test the hypothesis that non-numeric responses are more common when uncertainty about the future is greater. We expand on previous research linking child mortality and non-numeric fertility preferences by testing the predictive power of economic conditions, marital instability, and adult mortality. Results show that uncertainty related to adult and child mortality and to economic conditions predicts non-numeric responses, while marital stability is less strongly related
Maternal health care in five sub-Saharan African countries
Get PDFThis paper examines inequalities in access to maternal health care services and identifies demographic and socio-economic factors associated with poor maternal health outcomes using data from five Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in Ghana (2003), Kenya (2003), Nigeria (2003), Uganda (2000-2001) and Zambia (2001-2002). The six maternal health care indicators show that rural women are more disadvantaged than urban women. Home deliveries comprise more than half of total births. Getting money for treatment stands out as the most important problem women have in accessing health care. In general, Nigerian women experience poorer maternal health outcomes than women in the other four countries. Maternal educational attainment, urban/rural residence and partner’s occupation emerge as the most important predictors of inadequate antenatal care, institutional delivery and current use of any contraceptive method. Female education beyond secondary school level coupled with strenuous efforts to reduce poverty holds the key to keep women off the road to death.Resume Cet article examine des inégalités dans l'accès au service de santé medicaux maternelle et identifie les facteurs démographiques et socio-économiques liés aux consequences de la santé maternelle pauvres en utilisant des données de cinq enquêtes démographiques et de santé conduites au Ghana (2003), au Kenya (2003), au Nigéria (2003), en Ouganda (2000-2001) et en Zambie (2001- 2002). Les six indicateurs de santé medicale maternelle prouvent que les femmes rurales sont plus désavantagées que les femmes urbaines. Les accouchements à domicile comportent plus que la moitié des naissances totales. Obtenir l’argent pour les soins ou les traitements ressortent comme le plus important probleme que les femmes ont pour accéder aux services ou soins medicaux. En général, les femmes nigerianes éprouvent des résultats de santé maternelle plus pauvre que les femmes dans les quatre autres pays. L’acquisition de l’education maternelle, la résidence urbaine/ruale et l’occupation du partenaire émergent en tant que facteurs prédictifs les plus importants de soin prénatal, d’accouchements institutionels et de l’utilisation courante de n’importe quelle methode contraceptive inadéqates. L’education femine au delà du niveau d’école secondaire ajouté aux efforts laborieux de réduire la pauvreté détiennent la clé d’eloigner les femmes de la route vers la mort.Mots clés : Soin prénatal/postnatal, santé maternelle, utilisation contraceptiv