Cross-Sectional Study of SKILLZ Street Plus Among Adolescent Girls in South Africa

DETAILED SUMMARY

Importance

• South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexual violence against girls 12-17 years, and as a result, adolescent girls 15-19 years are eight times as likely to have HIV as boys the same age.

Objective

• To understand the practices, attitudes, knowledge, and experiences of adolescent girls (11-16 years) in Soweto, South Africa, related to gender, intimate relationships, and violence prior at baseline of a two-year longitudinal study.

Study details

• Study design: Cross-sectional study (baseline survey)
• Data collection tools: Baseline surveys only (mobile phones using Open Data Kit software)
• Participants: Grade 8 female learners (n = 200; mean age = 13.61 years)
• Implementation setting: 4 schools in Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa
• Study period: May 2014

Intervention

• Designed to inform SKILLZ Street Plus (SSP): 14-session, 28-hour intervention using a network of female coaches to deliver the curriculum, mentor the girls, and facilitate soccer-based life activities.

Results

• Gender beliefs & self-efficacy: Younger adolescents (11–13 years) reported higher gender-equitable beliefs (21%) and self-efficacy (25–32%) than older adolescents (7% and 15%, respectively, among 15–16-year-olds).
• Violence attitudes: 31% reported that IPV was unacceptable; justification of a boyfriend’s violence increased with age (18% among 11-13 year-olds; 33% among 15-16 year-olds).
• HIV knowledge: Mean HIV-related knowledge decreased with age (3.53 among 11–13-year-olds vs. 3.22 among 15–16-year-olds).
• Soccer benefits: Higher perceived benefits of soccer were associated with higher self-efficacy and more gender-equitable beliefs.
• Violence exposure: In the past 12 months, 42% reported experiencing IPV and 63% reported non-partner violence. Streets were most commonly identified as high-risk locations for violence (47%), followed by schools (24%) and homes (17%).
• Disclosure & reporting: Among those experiencing violence, 62% disclosed to parents (primarily mothers, 58%); reporting to police was less common (31% for IPV; 36% for non-partner violence).

Conclusions and Implications

• There is a need to understand which social, relational, and psychological factors influence experiences and perceptions of violence among adolescent girls at different ages or developmental stages. Creating a safe space and integrating linkages to support services, family, and schools is critical.
• This baseline study will be used as a comparison for an endline survey following SSP to determine whether the use of sport-based methodology can positively impact participants’ knowledge and attitudes towards violence and reduce the likelihood of experiencing violence.