An Exploratory Study of Parent-Adolescent Communication on Sexual Issues and HIV Prevention, at Otjomuise Clinic, Namibia Ivy Nyanyiwe Mkandawire and Scholastika Ndatinda Iipinge * Welwitchia Health Training Centre, Pelican Square, Windhoek, Namibia * Corresponding author: Scholastika Ndatinda Iipinge, Director, Welwitchia Health Training Centre, P.O Box 98604, Pelican Square, Windhoek, Khomas Region 9000, Namibia, Tel: +264 81 251 4024; Fax: 0886550937; E-mail: siipinge@gmail.com Received date: November 17, 2017; Accepted date: November 30, 2017; Published date: December 06, 2017 Copyright: © 2017 Mkandawire IN, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract This research looks at parent-adolescent communication on sexual issues and HIV prevention at Otjomuise clinic in Windhoek-Namibia. The literature review showed that parent-adolescent communication about sexual issues and HIV prevention is rare especially in Africa because of lack of skills, information and cultural beliefs. The aim of the study is to investigate parental communication with their adolescents about sexual issues and HIV prevention. The Specific objectives were: To investigate whether parents communicated with their adolescents on sexual issues and HIV prevention. To explore type of information that was communicated. To determine challenges encountered in communicating with their adolescents. To seek suggestions from parents on how to improve communication between parents and adolescents regarding sexual issues and HIV prevention. Qualitative design was used. A total of 20 participants were purposively selected and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Thematic analysis was utilized for data analysis. The research revealed that some parents do discuss sexual issues and HIV prevention with their adolescents but not a lot. The information that they discuss is mainly abstinence. The challenges that parents encounter during discussions are lack of skills and information to initiate the discussion and cultural beliefs that do not expect a parent to discuss sexual issues and HIV prevention with their own children. Parents suggested two things in order to improve parent-adolescent discussions on sexual issues and HIV prevention: (i) That institutions like schools should provide education on sexual issues and HIV prevention. (ii) That the government should train the parents on how to discuss sexual issues and HIV prevention with their children The researcher recommends that parent-teachers associations be established so that parents can learn from teachers on how to discuss sexual issues and HIV prevention. Together teachers and parents can discuss on how to educate adolescents about abstinence plus any related issues. Keywords: Parents; Adolescents; Communication; Sexual issues; HIV prevention. Abbreviations AIDS: Acquired Immune Defciency Virus; HIV: Human Immunodefciency Virus; UNAIDS: United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; UNICEF: United Nations International Children Fund; WHO: World Health Organisation Introduction and Background Tis study was on communication between parents and their adolescent children between ages ten and nineteen concerning sexual issues and Human Immunodefciency virus (HIV) prevention. Te article starts with background to the study, problem statement and further discusses methodology of the study. Te article also presents the fndings, conclusion, recommendations and limitations of the study. Te study was done at Otjomuise Clinic, a poly clinic in Windhoek in Namibia. Te estimated total population of Namibia is about two million and the frst case of AIDS was reported in 1986. It is estimated that hundred and ffy nine thousand seven hundred and forty four adults over the age of 15 years are living with HIV//AIDS in Namibia (1,159,744). In Namibia adult patients are those reporting to health facilities aged from 13 years old and above [1,2] Adolescent is any person between ages ten and nineteen years [3]. Communication is the act of sharing or exchanging thoughts or information [4]. A parent in this study was any adult person, who was keeping, looking afer and living in the same house with an adolescent child. Tis group of adolescents was targeted because they are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. UNAIDS attribute this to risky sexual behaviour of being engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse, lack of information and preventive services or for economic, social and cultural reasons [5]. Adolescents look for new experiences which is the nature of their brain development and means that they are likely to seek out new experiences and engage in more risk-taking behaviours of drinking and substance abuse which would lead them to early onset of sexual intercourse [6]. Tey also start to develop and explore sexual identity and might make them start to have romantic relationships or start dating which can also lead to early onset of sexual intercourse which would expose them to HIV infection [7]. J o u r n a l o f C o m m u n i t y & P u b l i c H e a l t h N u r s i n g ISSN: 2471-9846 Journal of Community and Public Health Nursing Mkandawire and Iipinge, J Comm Pub Health Nurs 2017, 4:1 DOI: 10.4172/2471-9846.1000204 Research Article Open Access J Comm Pub Health Nurs, an open access journal ISSN:2471-9846 Volume 4 • Issue 1 • 1000204