FRONTIERS Projects | Feasibility, Effectiveness, and Cost of Models of Integrating Counseling and Testing for HIV Within Family Planning Services in South Africa

FRONTIERS PROJECT
Feasibility, Effectiveness, and Cost of Models of Integrating Counseling and Testing for HIV Within Family Planning Services in South Africa

FRONTIERS collaborated with the Maternal, Child and Women's Health and Nutrition cluster of the South Africa Department of Health to provide programmatic guidance on how to make counseling and testing for HIV more widely available through family planning services and on the most feasible and effective ways of doing this. The study's objective was to determine whether educating family planning clients about voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV within routine family planning visits is more acceptable than referring clients for specialized VCT services. Researchers compared two models of VCT integration in terms of the quality of family planning services, the intention to use VCT, and the cost per family planning client. The study also evaluated the effectiveness of the more feasible model with respect to uptake of VCT and use of dual protection by family planning clients.

Location

Odi, Moretele, Rustenburg subdistricts, Bojanala District, North West Province, South Africa

Duration

July 2004–December 2007

Population Council researchers

Saiqa Mullick, Lewis Ndhlovu, Horizons program

Non-Council collaborator

South Africa Department of Health

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources
Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2008
Mullick, Saiqa, Mantshi Menziwa, Nzwakie Mosery, Doctor Khoza, and Edwin Maroga. 2008. "Feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness and cost of models of integrating HIV prevention and counseling and testing for HIV within family planning services in North West Province, South Africa," FRONTIERS Final Report. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF)

"South Africa: Integrating services for FP and HIV improves quality and HIV testing," FRONTIERS OR Summary no. 79. Washington, DC: Population Council. (full text)

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