Mobilizing Young People for the Care and Support of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia

Research Summary

The prevalence of HIV infection among young Zambians ages 15 to 20 years is estimated to be 20 percent, with females five times more likely to be infected as males. As the threat to young people grows, the care and support needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) are also escalating.

Many young people are already providing care to sick family members, although few have the appropriate knowledge and skills to deal with the complex health needs and social issues associated with HIV/AIDS, such as stigmatization. Training young people as caregivers and as agents of stigma reduction may help communities cope better with the impact of HIV/AIDS and help motivate young people to practice protective behaviors.

Description of the Study

One promising development in Zambia has been the growth of hundreds of anti-AIDS clubs for young people based in schools and the community. Anti-AIDS clubs organize and conduct recreational activities, especially football and netball games, drama, red ribbon campaigns, and community outreach.

These clubs—staffed by adolescent volunteers who act as role models and peer educators—are the focus of an intervention study conducted by Care International, Family Health Trust, and Horizons. The study seeks to determine which care and support needs of PLHA and their families can be met by trained youth, and whether youth engaged in care and support activities reduce risky behaviors as well as become community advocates for PLHA and OVC.

The quasi-experimental study is being conducted in two semi-urban/rural provinces. Thirty clubs in two districts in Luapula Province, serve as intervention sites; an equal number in two districts in Northern Province serve as control sites. Club members and patrons from all 60 clubs receive training in HIV/AIDS prevention and club management, yet only the intervention clubs in the two Luapula districts receive training, materials, and ongoing support for caring for PLHA and OVC. The clubs participating in the study include both well-established and newly formed ones.

Data Collection

The study began by collecting qualitative data from young people about their attitudes toward risky and prevention behaviors, PLHA and OVC, and youth involvement in care and support activities. The researchers also solicited the views of community members on care for PLHA by youth. After the HIV prevention and club management workshops, youth members from a random sample of 16 of the 30 intervention clubs and 16 of the 30 control clubs completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Half of the clubs in each group (intervention and control) are school based and the other half are community based. All respondents will be surveyed again one year after completion of the care and support training for the intervention clubs in Luapula Province. The researchers are also collecting process data at the club level and qualitative data from youth and adults points during the study.

This summary presents key findings from the study to date, including results from the first questionnaire administered to club members and workshops with club members and others to discuss the data from the questionnaire. The questionnaire sample consists of a total of 785 club members, 391 males and 394 females from 12 to 23 years old. Almost all respondents are single; nearly two-thirds are 15 to 19 years old. Ninety-seven percent of males and females ages 12 to 16 are in school, and most older respondents ages 17 to 23 years also attend school (82 percent of females, 74 percent of males). Only about half of the sample lives with both mother and father. About a third of males and more than a fourth of females live with a non-parent.

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