"ZAZI-Know your strength" : a reception analysis of contraceptive utilisation in correlation to unplanned and unwanted pregnancies among young female learners' in Umnini, KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

Approximately 30% of teenage pregnancies are reported as unplanned in South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal, in particular, has one of the highest concentrations of teenage pregnancy. While there are advances made in addressing this issue, teenage pregnancy remains a social problem. Most teenage mothers report limited contraceptive use before falling pregnant. Health communication campaigns have been implemented as a response to this social problem, including ZAZI-Know Your Strength (ZAZI) campaign. The study is a reception analysis of perceptions and experiences of young female learners towards contraceptive use in correlation to unplanned pregnancy after being exposed to the ZAZI campaign. This study is framed by the culture-centered approach which says that health communication programmes should be planned, implemented and evaluated within the context of the relevant socio-cultural beliefs and value systems prevalent in a particular community. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were administered to determine the reception of the ZAZI campaign. Findings indicated that there is knowledge of the different contraceptive methods; however this knowledge often did not translate to contraceptive use. Key findings highlighted the need for more access points that provide contraceptives, including healthcare workers’ attitudes towards young women at the health care facilities. The circumstances of young women in this study speak to the larger social and economic issues of the country and reflect the need to prioritise young women’s health in rural areas for health interventions like ZAZI to have a greater impact.