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Aims: There is limited literature on the challenges encountered during household surveys on alcohol consumption in low- and middle-income countries. This paper aims to describe the problems encountered during data collection for the IAC study in South Africa and put forward recommendations for addressing identified challenges.Methods: Data on methodological and other challenges emerged from feedback sessions held with fieldworkers, supervisors, observations made of and follow up meetings with project investigators, based on the pilot and main study of 2844 adults and adolescents in Tshwane (South Africa).Results: Challenges identified included the following: delays in software development which resulted in postponement of data collection with subsequent budgetary implications; difficulties in identifying the full range of alcohol beverages during the adaptation of the questionnaire as manufacturers sometimes changed quantities and packaging to enhance sales; a resultant lengthy questionnaire which negatively impacted on participation; potential participants sometime being afraid to allow fieldworkers onto premises due to high crime rates in many participating areas and religious beliefs concerning alcohol consumption that prevented some parents from consenting to their adolescent children’s participation.Conclusion: When planning community surveys on alcohol use, it is important to anticipate and prepare for these and other challenging conditions that arise in the preparation for, and execution of fieldwork. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Misuse of codeine-containing medicines is an emerging global public health concern. The majority of research has been conducted in developed countries (European Members States, Australia, the United States). This study aimed to gain an understanding of unique individual and collective experiences of trajectories of codeine misuse and dependence in South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of adult codeine misusers and dependents (n = 25). Narratives were analyzed using the empirical phenomenological psychological five-step method. Nine themes with 63 categories emerged, with two additional high levels of abstraction. Findings are illustrated: participant profile and product preferences, motives for use, transitioning to misuse and dependence, pharmacy purchasing and alternative sourcing routes, effects and withdrawal experiences, help-seeking and treatment experiences, and strategies for prevention. The study underscores the need for continued support for enhanced patient awareness of risk of habit forming use and related health consequences and professional pharmacovigilance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A community-based needs assessment among men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa found that 27 % ( n = 280/1,045) of MSM had never been tested for HIV. The most frequently reported reasons for not having been tested were the perception of not being at risk (57 %) and fear of being tested (52 %). This article explores factors associated with these two reasons among the untested MSM. In multiple logistic regressions, the perception of not being at risk of HIV infection was negatively associated with being black, coloured or Indian, being sexually active, knowing people living with HIV, and a history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the past 24 months (adj. OR = .24, .32, .38, and .22, respectively). Fear of being tested for HIV was positively associated with being black, coloured or Indian, preferred gender expression as feminine, being sexually active, a history of STIs, and experience of victimization on the basis of sexual orientation (adj. OR = 2.90, 4.07, 4.62, 5.05, and 2.34, respectively). Results suggest that HIV prevention programs directed at South African MSM will be more effective if testing and treatment of STIs are better integrated into HIV testing systems. Finally, social exclusion on the basis of race and sexual orientation ought to be addressed in order to reach hidden, at-risk, populations of MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]