Ayazazi

AYAZAZI (meaning ‘Knowing Themselves’ in Zulu) was a CIHR funded youth-centred, multi-site, interdisciplinary, prospective cohort study focused on HIV prevention among 425 adolescents and young adults (aged 16-24 years) residing in Soweto and Durban, who reported HIV-negative or unknown status at enrolment. AYAZAZI is guided by a youth engagement framework, which prioritizes youth-friendly spaces and opportunities for young people to be meaningfully involved throughout the research process. Currently, there 12-18 months of follow-up data among AYAZAZI participants, including questionnaire data on socio-demographics, health service use, SRHR, mental health, substance use, and use of technology, clinical data including HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and biological data which includes markers of inflammation. Our team is currently collecting qualitative data to explore youth’s perceptions of a scale (the sexual relationship power scale) that was included at 6, 12, & 18 (Soweto only) months. We have also recently submitted a project grant to determine the social determinants of health that contribute directly or indirectly to immune activation and chronic inflammation among the 253 young women who participated in the AYAZAZI study.

Faculty Supervisor:

Angela Kaida

Student:

Partner:

University of the Witwatersrand

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: