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This study examined the messages perceived by adolescent girls with orphanhood to influence their sexual decision making. Participants were 125 students (mean age = 14.7 years), 54% of whom attended church schools in a rural district of eastern Zimbabwe. We collected and analyzed data using concept mapping, a mixed method approach that enabled the construction of message clusters, with weighting for their relative importance. Messages that clustered under Biblical Teachings and Life Planning ranked highest in salience among students in both church and secular schools. Protecting Family Honor, HIV Prevention, and Social Stigma messages ranked next, respectively. Contrary to study hypotheses, the messages that orphan adolescent girls perceived to influence their sexual decisions did not vary by type of school attended.

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Objective: The study explored contexts for health and wellbeing for women and children influenced by the structural behavior of an Apostolic faith church organization in Zimbabwe., Methods: Twenty-three purposively selected members of an African indigenous Apostolic church (males = 12; females = 11; age range 22-95 years) were informants to a focus group discussion session. They provided data on the institutional behaviors that were culturally-historically embedded in the organization's activities. Data were analyzed thematically and using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to foreground essential themes., Results: The church organization provided social capital to support health and wellbeing in members. However, the culturally embedded practices to minimize decision making by women and child members potentially compromised their health and wellbeing., Conclusion: The findings suggest that the structural activities of the church for health and wellbeing could also have the paradoxical effect of exposing women and children to health risks from obligatory roles.