Research Output Repository (HSRC)
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Perspectives on app-assisted self-testing using rapid diagnostic tests among community members, health care providers
No full textSelf-testing using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), integrated with mobile phone–based apps, offers potential to
improve health outcomes in low-resource settings, including sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its advantages, uptake remains limited because of concerns about accuracy, accessibility, and integration within existing health care systems. This study aimed to assess the acceptability of self-testing using RDTs for various health conditions, both independently and app-assisted, among community members, health care providers (HCPs), and community and public health leaders in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia. From May 15 to August 24, 2023, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study across rural and urban areas in the 3 countries. We used key informant interviews with community leaders and public health leaders in the ministries or departments of health, in-depth interviews (IDIs) with HCPs, and IDIs and focus group discussions (FGDs) with community members. Using framework analysis, we categorized data guided by the Theoretical Framework of acceptability to assess affective attitude, burden, ethicality, intervention coherence, opportunity costs, perceived effectiveness, and self-efficacy toward self-testing using RDTs, with and without assistance from an app, across countries and participant types. Results: The study involved 178 participants, including 24 key informants, 41 HCPs, and 113 community members who participated in 55 IDIs and 11 FGDs across the 3 countries. Self-testing, both standalone and app-assisted, was highly acceptable to community members, HCPs, and community and public health leaders in the 3 countries for its ability to empower individuals, enhance access to health care, and improve efficiencies in health care delivery. Self-testing was aligned with values of privacy, confidentiality, and autonomy and increased reach to under-resourced areas. Participants valued its potential to save time, reduce opportunity costs, and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment, while easing burdens on the health care systems. Participants perceived the benefits of self-testing to outweigh possible risks, including human error, false readings, and emotional distress from unexpected results, especially if linked by an app to real-time guidance and improved health care coordination. Apps were praised for modernity, convenience, and ability to streamline processes for users and health care systems. foreseeable challenges included resistance from less tech-savvy individuals, ethical concerns such as misuse of self-tests, technological barriers, data security, training needs, and insufficient digital and physical infrastructure for equitable implementation. Regular education, system support, integration, and community trust were identified as critical for success. Self-testing, both alone and app-assisted, was viewed as acceptable and relevant for increasing health care accessibility and efficiency in these low-resource settings. However, to optimize its benefits, efforts must address challenges related to test accuracy, infrastructure development, data privacy, and integration into existing health care systems. Policies should further emphasize education, support, user-friendly design, and minimal costs to ensure equitable access and effective implementation across diverse populations.
The future South Africa we want: Democracy@30
No full textThis vibrant collection captures thirty years of democracy through the lived experiences of diverse South African communities. Moving from QwaQwa to Vuwani, Soweto, Langa, Luka, Platfontein, and beyond, the book foregrounds citizens' reflections on progress, frustration, resilience, and aspirations for a better future. The narrative blends grassroots voices with scholarly analysis to offer a textured portrait of South Africa's democracy as both promise and struggle, framed within broader African and global contexts.
Beliefs about inequality around the globe: insights from the International Social Survey Programme
No full textThis edited volume presents the latest findings from the 5th International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Social Inequality module, a widely recognized dataset comprising responses from over 30 countries. It explores global perspectives on social inequality, including topics such as public views on taxation, government redistribution, personal experiences of inequality, and related themes. The chapters provide valuable insights into how attitudes toward inequality have evolved since they were first studied comparatively in the late 1980s.
A spatial analysis of national birth records. a decade of teenage pregnancy in South Africa, 2014–2023: a spatial analysis of national birth records.
No full textTeenage pregnancy remains a significant and multifaceted public health concern within the South African context. This public health threat has led to a disproportionate prevalence of HIV among female youth, along with increased maternal and child mortality rates. This retrospective cohort study employed birth record data from South Africa. This study employed descriptive statistics and the Pearson Chi-Square Test of Independence to analyze the statistical differences in the prevalence of teenage pregnancy. The Global Moran’s I was employed to analyze spatial autocorrelation, and the Local Moran’s I was subsequently utilized to identify hotspots of teenage pregnancy. In the past decade, births to mothers under the age of 20 constituted 13.0% of a total of 9,609,356 births, amounting to 1,249,074 births. Teenage pregnancy rates were markedly elevated from 2014 to 2018 in comparison to the period from 2019 to 2023 (13.7% versus 12.3%, p<0.001). Late registration of teenage births occurred at a significantly higher rate (34.8%, p<0.001). The Global Moran’s I value of 0.5641 (z-score=6.29; p<0.001) demonstrates a strong and statistically significant positive spatial autocorrelation. The Local Moran’s I identified two significant High-High clusters extending from northern KwaZulu-Natal into the Eastern Cape. This study's findings highlight the necessity for a focused intervention to tackle teenage pregnancy in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, concentrating on the identified hotspots. Interventions should prioritize comprehensive sex education for youth and enhance access to contraception and family planning services. District-level health departments can utilize these findings to identify and prioritize high-risk areas. Spatial insights should guide local planning, particularly regarding outreach and mobile health services.
Mobility challenges: adaptive responses and learning pathways
No full textPaper presented at the Science Forum South Africa, Pretoria, 24-28 NovemberN/
Prevalence of HIV and disparities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: implications for targeted public health strategies
No full textPaper presented at the Faculty of Health Sciences Research Symposium, Gqeberha, 5-6 Augus
South African public relationship with science: 2022 survey results
Get PDFThe first South African Public Relationship with Science (SAPRS) Survey, which is also the first of its kind, marks a turning point in the history of our science engagement programme. The report’s release coincides with the 30th anniversary of democracy in our nation, and the 2022 SAPRS takes us back to the early days, when the programme to raise public awareness of science started under the auspices of the 1996 White Paper on Science and Technology.
Corruption and behaviour change tracking social norms and values in South Africa
No full textCommissioned by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), MarchThe National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2020-2030 is an inclusive plan to eliminate corruption in South Africa. It aims to promote and encourage active citizenry, whistleblowing, integrity and transparency in all spheres of society. Amongst the goals of the NACS is the creation of a culture of zero-tolerance for corruption, calling on members of the public to report corruption if they witness it. The primary aim of the present study is to support the goals of the NACS by trying to understand how we can create a culture of zero-tolerance for corruption amongst the mass public in the country. In order to achieve this aim, it focuses on the social norms and values that inform both anti-corruption and corruption attitudes as well as behaviours in post-apartheid society. The multi-year study is being conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) with the support of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).N/