A co-designed community-based integrated HIV and SRH service for youth in Zimbabwe (CHIEDZA) achieved high acceptability, with 96.1% of attendees rating their experience as excellent/very good, driven by free services, integrated care, youth-focused provider interactions, and a safe social space.
The vast majority of CHIEDZA attendees rated their experience positively in an endline population-based survey.
Free-of-cost services were a key driver of CHIEDZA's acceptability among youth in Zimbabwe.
Integration of multiple sexual and reproductive health services at a single site was perceived as convenient and increased service uptake.
Youth-focused, non-judgmental interactions with healthcare providers were central to the acceptability of the CHIEDZA service.
CHIEDZA functioned as a social and safe space for youth, which contributed to its acceptability.
Lack of awareness about the service and distance were the primary reasons cited for non-attendance at CHIEDZA.
The CHIEDZA service was co-designed with and for youth aged 16-24 years in Zimbabwe using a community-based integrated model.
This research examined whether a specially designed sexual and reproductive health (SRH) clinic for young people in Zimbabwe, called CHIEDZA, was acceptable and appealing to its intended users. The clinic offered free, integrated HIV and SRH services (such as contraception, HIV testing, and menstrual products) in a community setting, and was designed with input from young people themselves. Researchers collected data through observations of the clinic in action, in-depth interviews with staff and clients, and a survey of attendees. The study found that CHIEDZA was very well received: 96.1% of attendees rated their experience as excellent or very good. Four features stood out as especially important to young people: the services were free at a time when even basic items like condoms and sanitary pads are costly; having multiple services in one place meant people could access more care than they originally planned (for example, someone who came for pads also got an HIV test); staff were described as non-judgmental and 'open-minded'; and the clinic provided a social, safe environment for young people. The main reasons young people did not attend were simply not knowing the clinic existed and living too far away. This research suggests that youth engagement with sexual and reproductive health services can be meaningfully improved by removing financial barriers, combining services under one roof, and training healthcare providers to interact with young people in a compassionate, non-stigmatizing way. The findings point to practical lessons for designing youth-friendly health services in similar low-resource settings.
Mackworth-Young C, Mavodza C, Simms V, Nyamwanza R, Nzombe P, Chikwari C, et al.. (2026). 'I can get all the services I want, without fear of being judged': Acceptability of a sexual and reproductive health service for youth in Zimbabwe.. Global public health. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2026.2648360