South African communities are still greatly affected by the high rate of infection with HIV
or who are living with AIDS, mirrored in the 2008 overall national HIV prevalence of 29.3%
(UNAIDS 2010:10). In addressing the challenge, the health system is dependent on community
care level workers such as caregivers to render health promotion and education in the homes
and communities. The caregivers based in the communities are the ones with first-hand
information on what is needed for the success of health promotion programmes. This study,
aimed at exploring the challenges faced by the health promoters, described their perceptions
regarding a health promotion programme for families with adolescents orphaned as a result of
AIDS. Data were collected on the purposively selected participants at the rural Hammanskraal
region in South Africa and the research question: ‘What is your perception regarding health
promotion programmes for families with adolescents orphaned as a result of AIDS’ was
asked and discussed by participants in a focus group interview. Data were analysed using the
adapted Tesch method to organize and isolate the main categories, sub-categories and themes.
The following main categories were isolated: attitudes of adolescents, effectiveness of home
visits, need for health education and limited resources. Based on the findings, it was therefore
recommended that health care planners assist in the improvement of health promotion and
education by using the community and national media, providing information material and
providing access to the internet in order to allow more people, including young people, to
access the information.
Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskappe word steeds grootliks beïnvloed deur die hoë vlak van
MIV en vigs, soos weerspieël in die algehele nasionale MIV-syfer in 2008 van 29.3%
(UNAIDS 2010:10). In die aanspreek van hierdie uitdaging is die gesondheidstelsel afhanklik
van gemeenskapsorgwerkers om gesondheidsbevordering en -opleiding aan huise en
gemeenskappe te voorsien. Die versorgers wat in die gemeenskap werk, het eerstehandse
inligting oor wat nodig is om die sukses van programme vir gesondheidsbevordering te
verseker. Hierdie studie, wat ten doel het om die uitdagings van gesondheidspromotors
te verken, beskryf hul persepsie ten opsigte van ’n gesondheidsbevorderingsprogram vir
families met adolessente wat wees gelaat is as gevolg van vigs. Data is op die doelbewus
geselekteerde deelnemers in die landelike Hammanskraal-streek in Suid-Afrika ingesamel en
die volgende navorsingvraag is in ’n fokusgroep-onderhoud gevra en bespreek: ‘Wat is jou
persepsie oor die gesondheidsbevorderingsprogram vir families met adolessente wat ouerloos
gelaat is as gevolg van MIV en vigs?’ Die data is met behulp van die aangepaste Tesch-metode
geanaliseer om die hoof- en sub-kategorieë, asook die temas te organiseer en isoleer. Die
volgende hoof-kategorieë is uitgesonder: die houdings van adolessente, die doeltreffendheid
van huisbesoeke, die behoefte aan gesondheidsopvoeding en beperkte hulpbronne. Gebaseer
op hierdie bevindinge is die aanbeveling dat die gesondheidsorgbeplanners bydra tot die
verbetering van gesondheidsbevordering en -opvoeding deur die gebruik van gemeenskapsen
nasionale media, die beskikbaarstelling van inligtingsmateriaal en die voorsiening van
internet om meer mense, insluitende jongmense, die geleentheid te bied om toegang tot die
inligting te verkry.
