Browsing by Author "Darj, Elisabeth"

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    Responses to VCT for HIV among young people in Kampala, Uganda
    (African Journal of AIDS Research, 2007) Råssjö, Eva-Britta; Darj, Elisabeth; Konde-Lule, Joseph; Olsson, Pia
    Attitudes to voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV among young men and women in a slum area of Kampala, Uganda, were studied through 22 individual semi-structured interviews and 5 focus group discussions. Attitudes to VCT ranged from having no problem with the procedure to being very reluctant. Despite fear of stigma, the participants perceived 'positive living' after HIV testing as realistic. VCT was regarded as an important step to avoid HIV infection, but informants expressed the need for the service to be more accessible in terms of cost, time and quality of pre- and post-test counselling. We argue that counselling without HIV testing should be available for those who are reluctant to test. Poverty and gender power imbalances appeared to limit youths' possibility of making rational decisions about sexual behaviour and accessing VCT. The importance of considering the context in which such issues are being negotiated and decided is highlighted.
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    STI-prevalence and differences in social background and sexual behavior among urban and rural young women in Uganda
    (Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 2010) Darj, Elisabeth; Mirembe, Florence M.; Råssjö, Eva-Britta
    Adolescents in Uganda carry a heavy burden of reproductive health problems. Different environment creates different problems. Objectives: To study the prevalence of STI and to compare social and behavioral risk factors for Neisseria gonorrhoea (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) among sexually experienced young women in one urban and one rural area in Uganda. Methods: Consenting, sexually experienced women, below 20 years, visiting two different youth clinics were asked about social background, genital symptoms and sexual experiences. Vaginal samples were taken for NG and CT and analyzed by PCR.