KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
loveLife: The Foundation’s Largest Initiative Ever Aims To Curb HIV Infection Among South African Youth
loveLife’s Y-Centres
The Radio Studio at the Hibberdene Y-Center in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The loveLife Y-Centres are multi-purpose facilities for young people, providing a range of entertainment, sports and educational opportunities.”Learn more about the Y-Centres…
loveTrain
The work of loveLife is supported by the loveTrain a sexual health education center and clinic on rails and the loveTours a mobile radio broadcast unit.Learn more about the loveTrain…
Former Presidents Clinton and Mandela Appeal for Increased Effort to Combat HIV Infection Among Young People
Two of the world’s most prominent elder statesmen have made a joint appearance in support of loveLife, South Africa’s national HIV prevention program for youth, hailing loveLife as the model for HIV prevention among youth globally.
According to a new poll by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard s Kennedy School of Government, the nation is evenly divided on the question of tradeoffs between civil liberties and security. However, a small but statistically significant number of Americans have shifted toward the civil liberties side of the issue since last year, although majorities still support some government actions that could be seen as curtailing such liberties.
This policy brief describes the current federal staffing requirements and how states separately regulate staffing levels in nursing homes. It also presents data showing actual staffing levels in over half of this country’s nursing homes exceed the levels that states and the federal government require.
This policy brief describes the resources, staffing, and performance of state licensing and certification agencies based on findings from a survey of state survey agency officials.
The Health News Index measures public attention to and knowledge about leading health stories covered in the news in June and July, including discussions in Congress about a Medicare prescription drug benefit; a report from the National Institutes of Health on hormone replacement therapy; and the International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain. The Health News Index is designed to help news media and people in the health field gain a better understanding of which health stories Americans are following and what they understand about those issues.
This focus group study is of New Yorkers who enrolled in Disaster Relief Medicaid (DRM), a temporary public health insurance program created after the September 11th attacks. It is based on findings from six focus groups conducted with Hispanic, Chinese, and African American New Yorkers.
This report summarizes the key findings from the largest ever national survey of South African teenagers on their attitudes towards issues such as sex, gender, and substance abuse, as well as their aspirations for the future. This nationally representative random sample of 2,000 South Africans aged 12-17 years shows that young South Africans are overwhelmingly optimistic about the future of South Africa and filled with the usual aspirations and ambitions of youth. However, most young South Africans fear they might not live to realize their dreams and that South Africa’s future prospects may be overwhelmed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The personal risk of HIV/AIDS, as well as it’s impact on friends, families and the country’s future are a major preoccupation for young people.
More than 40% of South Africans are under 15 years of age. These young South Africans are at great risk of HIV infection. At the current rate of infection more than 50% of South Africans under 15 today could die of AIDS-related causes in the next five to ten years. On the one hand, most young South Africans say they are happy with their lives, but at the same time they are also struggling with very serious issues. The AIDS epidemic is a particular source of fear and concern. While almost all young people say they accept responsibility for protecting themselves from the virus, many still do not know important facts about the disease and how it is prevented or treated. Moreover, many sexually active teens are making unsafe choices and hold attitudes that put them at risk for HIV infection.
While young South Africans generally spend large parts of their time doing the things young people do everywhere – watching television, listening to the radio or “hanging out” with friends – poverty is a major factor in the lives of a large proportion of young South Africans. About one third of young South Africans are living in households with less than R1,000 ($130) income per month. Approximately one third of black respondents reported going hungry and many are living in homes that are overcrowded and lack basic amenities such as electricity and sewerage. Most respondents said that if they had money they would spend it on food.
Although the risk of HIV/AIDS looms large in the lives of young South Africans, 65% indicate that they are worried about their personal safety. Crime is the greatest concern (72%), but 62% of respondents cited the fear of sexual or physical abuse as a concern. Many young South Africans are sexually active. About one third of boys and girls aged 12-17 have had sexual intercourse. One in five (18%) of this group reported having their first sexual experience at the age of 12 or younger. Most teenagers say they first learned about sex from their friends and peer pressure and coercion play a significant role in adolescent sexual behaviour. Sex is also often used as a commodity in exchange for money or other forms of payment. Twenty-eight percent of young South Africans indicate they know people their age who have sex for money, and 16% of sexually experienced girls interviewed said they themselves have had sex for money, drinks, food or other gifts.
Although nearly three quarters of respondents say they are positive about the future of South Africa, white and Indian youth in particular are less positive, and 39% of all young South Africans indicate that they will probably leave South Africa someday. Although 8 in 10 respondents say they feel happy mixing with people of all races, 71% said they only have friends of their own race. But the vast majority believe they should participate in determining the country’s future with 88% of respondents saying they think it important to vote in an election.
This memorandum provides background on the issue of contraceptive coverage and presents new findings from the soon to be released Kaiser/HRET 2002 Annual Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits.
A new study conducted by researchers at Tufts-New England Medical Center, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Commonwealth Fund, reports results from a 2001 survey of 10,927 noninstitutionalized seniors in eight geographically diverse states: California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. State-level data on drug coverage, medication use, out-of-pocket costs, and cost-related medication skipping among community-dwelling seniors are highlighted to examine how coverage and experiences differ by state and how well states have been able to close the drug coverage gap for seniors. The study finds nearly one quarter of seniors (22%) reported skipping medications or not filling prescriptions due to costs and a similar share (23%) reported spending at least $100 per month on their medications in 2001. The survey also finds that access and scope of drug coverage depend substantially on where seniors live. Even in states with the highest rates of prescription drug coverage, roughly one in five seniors lacked drug coverage.
The chart pack draws from a Health Affairs article released electronically on July 31, 2002, entitled, Prescription Drug Coverage and Seniors: How Well Are States Closing the Gap? Findings from a 2001 Survey of Seniors in Eight States. The full text of the article is available below.
An issue update that provides preliminary results from a survey of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on their plans to constrain Medicaid cost growth. The full survey will be released in September.
