Resourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa

Adolescents are the only age group with growing AIDS-related morbidity and mortality in Eastern and Southern Africa, making HIV prevention research among this population an urgent priority. Structural deprivations are key drivers of adolescent HIV infection in this region. Biomedical interventions m...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Toska, E, Gittings, L, Hodes, R, Cluver, L, Govender, K, Chademana, K, Gutiérrez, V
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Taylor and Francis 2016
_version_ 1826295903367987200
author Toska, E
Gittings, L
Hodes, R
Cluver, L
Govender, K
Chademana, K
Gutiérrez, V
author_facet Toska, E
Gittings, L
Hodes, R
Cluver, L
Govender, K
Chademana, K
Gutiérrez, V
author_sort Toska, E
collection OXFORD
description Adolescents are the only age group with growing AIDS-related morbidity and mortality in Eastern and Southern Africa, making HIV prevention research among this population an urgent priority. Structural deprivations are key drivers of adolescent HIV infection in this region. Biomedical interventions must be combined with behavioural and social interventions to alleviate the socio-structural determinants of HIV infection. There is growing evidence that social protection has the potential to reduce the risk of HIV infection among children and adolescents. This research combined expert consultations with a rigorous review of academic and policy literature on the effectiveness of social protection for HIV prevention among children and adolescents, including prevention for those already HIV-positive. The study had three goals: (i) assess the evidence on the effectiveness of social protection for HIV prevention, (ii) consider key challenges to implementing social protection programmes that promote HIV prevention, and (iii) identify critical research gaps in social protection and HIV prevention, in Eastern and Southern Africa. Causal pathways of inequality, poverty, gender and HIV risk require flexible and responsive social protection mechanisms. Results confirmed that HIV-inclusive child-and adolescent-sensitive social protection has the potential to interrupt risk pathways to HIV infection and foster resilience. In particular, empirical evidence (literature and expert feedback) detailed the effectiveness of combination social protection particularly cash/in-kind components combined with "care" and "capability" among children and adolescents. Social protection programmes should be dynamic and flexible, and consider age, gender, HIV-related stigma, and context, including cultural norms, which offer opportunities to improve programmatic coverage, reach and uptake. Effective HIV prevention also requires integrated social protection policies, developed through strong national government ownership and leadership. Future research should explore which combinations of social protection work for sub-groups of children and adolescents, particularly those living with HIV.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T04:08:07Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:c6e6f208-b485-49ac-97e1-3e50983979e6
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T04:08:07Z
publishDate 2016
publisher Taylor and Francis
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:c6e6f208-b485-49ac-97e1-3e50983979e62022-03-27T06:41:15ZResourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern AfricaJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:c6e6f208-b485-49ac-97e1-3e50983979e6EnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordTaylor and Francis2016Toska, EGittings, LHodes, RCluver, LGovender, KChademana, KGutiérrez, VAdolescents are the only age group with growing AIDS-related morbidity and mortality in Eastern and Southern Africa, making HIV prevention research among this population an urgent priority. Structural deprivations are key drivers of adolescent HIV infection in this region. Biomedical interventions must be combined with behavioural and social interventions to alleviate the socio-structural determinants of HIV infection. There is growing evidence that social protection has the potential to reduce the risk of HIV infection among children and adolescents. This research combined expert consultations with a rigorous review of academic and policy literature on the effectiveness of social protection for HIV prevention among children and adolescents, including prevention for those already HIV-positive. The study had three goals: (i) assess the evidence on the effectiveness of social protection for HIV prevention, (ii) consider key challenges to implementing social protection programmes that promote HIV prevention, and (iii) identify critical research gaps in social protection and HIV prevention, in Eastern and Southern Africa. Causal pathways of inequality, poverty, gender and HIV risk require flexible and responsive social protection mechanisms. Results confirmed that HIV-inclusive child-and adolescent-sensitive social protection has the potential to interrupt risk pathways to HIV infection and foster resilience. In particular, empirical evidence (literature and expert feedback) detailed the effectiveness of combination social protection particularly cash/in-kind components combined with "care" and "capability" among children and adolescents. Social protection programmes should be dynamic and flexible, and consider age, gender, HIV-related stigma, and context, including cultural norms, which offer opportunities to improve programmatic coverage, reach and uptake. Effective HIV prevention also requires integrated social protection policies, developed through strong national government ownership and leadership. Future research should explore which combinations of social protection work for sub-groups of children and adolescents, particularly those living with HIV.
spellingShingle Toska, E
Gittings, L
Hodes, R
Cluver, L
Govender, K
Chademana, K
Gutiérrez, V
Resourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa
title Resourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa
title_full Resourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa
title_fullStr Resourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa
title_full_unstemmed Resourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa
title_short Resourcing resilience: social protection for HIV prevention amongst children and adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa
title_sort resourcing resilience social protection for hiv prevention amongst children and adolescents in eastern and southern africa
work_keys_str_mv AT toskae resourcingresiliencesocialprotectionforhivpreventionamongstchildrenandadolescentsineasternandsouthernafrica
AT gittingsl resourcingresiliencesocialprotectionforhivpreventionamongstchildrenandadolescentsineasternandsouthernafrica
AT hodesr resourcingresiliencesocialprotectionforhivpreventionamongstchildrenandadolescentsineasternandsouthernafrica
AT cluverl resourcingresiliencesocialprotectionforhivpreventionamongstchildrenandadolescentsineasternandsouthernafrica
AT govenderk resourcingresiliencesocialprotectionforhivpreventionamongstchildrenandadolescentsineasternandsouthernafrica
AT chademanak resourcingresiliencesocialprotectionforhivpreventionamongstchildrenandadolescentsineasternandsouthernafrica
AT gutierrezv resourcingresiliencesocialprotectionforhivpreventionamongstchildrenandadolescentsineasternandsouthernafrica