This study, implemented between August 2011 and July 2012, sought to provide a comprehensive, evidencebased
picture of the HIV-related issues facing young people across Africa, and the prevailing legal, policy, and
programmatic responses. The study was designed to establish a basis for a sharper focus on youth within the
response to HIV on the continent.
Our researchers conducted country-specific analytical reviews of the relevant literature on factors associated
with HIV risk-taking and health-seeking behaviors among young people aged 15–24 in six countries across
Africa—Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda. In addition, qualitative and quantitative
analyses enabled an evaluation of the similarities and differences among countries regarding factors
associated with young people’s sexual risk behavior, HIV-related health-seeking behavior, and the extent of
policy and programmatic involvement.
Between February and July 2012, the Population Council, in collaboration with leading sexual and
reproductive health (SRH)/HIV-focused youth-serving nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from the six
focal countries, conducted the following qualitative inquiries:
• Focus group discussions (FGDs), each made up of 6–12 participants.
• In-depth interviews (IDIs) with individuals perinatally infected with HIV; sex workers; orphans; married
adolescents; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTI) individuals. The participants represented
an age- and gender-balanced population.
• Key informant interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders in the arena of policies and programs regarding SRH/HIVrelated
issues facing youth.
The quantitative analysis consisted of secondary analyses of national HIV/SRH-related survey datasets,
including Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs), Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Surveys
(IBBSSs), and other national datasets from the six study countries. Multivariate analyses using logistic
regression were conducted on individual country datasets, with all regressions weighted to generate relative
risk ratios with cluster-robust standard errors.