NEW NATIONAL SURVEY EXAMINES HIV, SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
AMONG SOUTH AFRICAN YOUNG PEOPLE

Johannesburg, South Africa – With South Africa in the grips of the devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic, an unprecedented survey found that 1 in 10 South African youth are HIV positive and more than three-quarters of them are women. Nearly one in four women aged 20-24 are HIV positive compared to 1 in 14 men of the same age.

The survey, HIV and Sexual Behaviour Among Young South Africans: A National Survey of 15-24 Year Olds, included in-person interviews in nine languages and biological testing for HIV of a nationally representative sample of approximately 11,900 15-24 year olds. This is the first survey to have a sufficiently large sample to provide reliable national baselines for HIV prevalence and behavioral trends among young South Africans. A report based on the survey is available on the Kaiser Family Foundation’s website at http://www.kff.org/southafrica/7066.cfm.

The survey was conducted by the Reproductive Health Research Unit of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, for the loveLife consortium in partnership with the Medical Research Council of South Africa, and with the independent oversight of a technical advisory board based in Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California, San Francisco.

Key findings include:

• Overall the HIV prevalence among 15-24 year olds was 10.2%. Among those age 15-24 years the prevalence among males was 4.8% and among females it was 15.5%. For those age 15-19 years the prevalence among males was 2.5% and for females it was 7.3%, and among those age 20-24 years the prevalence among males was 7.6% while among females it was 24.5%.
• Among sexually experienced youth, 6% reported having been forced to have sexual intercourse. This was 10% among females and 2% among males.
• Among sexually experienced youth, 52% reported using a condom at last sex. Condom use was almost identical among sexually experienced men and women aged 15-19 years but, among sexually experienced 20-24 year olds, females were significantly less likely to report condom use at last sex than men (44% vs. 57%).
• The highest HIV prevalence was found in KwaZulu-Natal Province (14.1%) and the lowest in Limpopo Province (4.8%). In terms of geographic area, youth living in urban informal areas had the highest HIV prevalence (17.4%).

The HIV prevalence findings are similar to those found in the 2002 Nelson Mandela/HSRC survey and the South African government’s 2002 Antenatal Clinic survey. Any differences in the findings of these reports are most likely the result of sampling from different populations. Nevertheless, the similarity of these survey findings establishes a solid base for the future assessment of trends in HIV infection among young South Africans.

The survey also provides baseline information to track the impact of loveLife, South Africa’s national HIV prevention program for youth. It is the first of three such studies to be conducted at approximately two year intervals over the expected duration of the loveLife initiative, to track changes in HIV prevalence and sexual behavior among South African youth.

The survey showed 85% of youth reported having heard of or seen loveLife. Two thirds (65%) of all South African youth reported awareness of at least four loveLife programs or products. There were no significant differences by age or gender. The survey also showed a high level of awareness across all geographic areas.

About loveLife
loveLife is South Africa’s national HIV prevention program for youth. Organized under the auspices of a national advisory board of leading South Africans, loveLife combines a high-powered media campaign with nationwide adolescent sexual health services, and community-level outreach and support programs for youth. loveLife's programs are implemented by a consortium of leading South African public health organizations: the Health Systems Trust, Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa and the Reproductive Health Research Unit of the University of the Witwatersrand in coalition with more than 100 community-based non-government organizations across South Africa. loveLife receives funding from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; The Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria; the South African Government; The Nelson Mandela Foundation; The Anglo American Chairman’s Fund and Vodacom. For more information on loveLife, visit www.lovelife.org.za.