Guy Harling

Biographic Data

ID228498
NAMEGuy Harling
GIVEN NAMESGuy
FAMILY NAMEHarling
SIGNATUREHARLING G
AFFILIATIONSHarvard University
ORCID0000-0001-6604-491X
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS52
TOTAL CITATIONS77
AUTHOR COUNT52
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2008
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX6

  • Optimizing peer-led health interventions

    Open AccessMadalo Mukoka, Alison Price et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2026

    Social network interventions (SNIs) can leverage influential individuals within personal networks to amplify health behavior adoption and intervention diffusion. While SNIs are potentially effective in enhancing uptake of HIV prevention and other interventions, identifying optimal peer leaders remains challenging. This study assessed how social network-based approaches can improve peer leader identification compared to non-structural approaches (…

  • Harnessing the social capital of rural communities for adolescent and youth biosocial HIV prevention

    Open AccessThembelihle Zuma, Janet Seeley et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2026

    Novel interventions are required to reduce risky sexual behavior among adolescents and young people (AYP). We interviewed a purposive sample comprising AYP residing in the Africa Health Research Institute’s surveillance area and individuals involved in delivering a community-based peer navigator support intervention. Interviews were conducted in isiZulu, transcribed and translated into English for thematic analysis. We found that community resili…

  • “When You Are Holding a Pen You Think Deeper about What You Write.” Comparing the Experiences of Completing Paper- and Computer-based Participant-aided Sociograms

    Open AccessDorottya Hoór, Vuyiswa Nxumalo et al.ARTICLECAM2026

    Past personal network research has highlighted the many trade-offs in data collection strategies but has largely overlooked respondents’ perspectives on the interview experience. We use a within-subjects research design to compare respondents’ experiences with pen-and-paper sociograms and a comparable computer-assisted approach using Network Canvas, among young people in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were collected through five focus gr…

  • Episodic memory trajectories of older adults with and without HIV

    Open AccessMichaela Theilmann, Sarah Gao et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2026

    With the introduction of antiretroviral treatment (ART), life expectancy among people with HIV in South Africa has increased substantially. This ageing population faces age-related challenges, including cognitive decline. Yet, differences in cognitive trends between people with and without HIV remain poorly understood. We analyzed longitudinal data on 3,066 adults aged 40 + years in rural South Africa from the “Health and Aging in Africa: Longitu…

  • Time-varying factors predicting adolescent healthcare needs and utilization in a rural Burkina Faso cohort

    Open AccessJoshua Krohn, Mamadou Bountogo et al.ARTICLESSM - Mental Health2026

    Adolescent healthcare in low-income countries receives little attention despite their growing population share, significant health challenges and the critical role of youth in shaping future health outcomes. Current research remains largely cross-sectional, limiting capacity to assess causal processes relating to care need and use. We used longitudinal data to examine adolescent need for and use of healthcare in rural Burkina Faso, to identify se…

  • The influence of social networks in adoption of integrated health interventions

    Open AccessMadalo Mukoka, Owen Mhango et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2025

    Introduction Social networks play a vital role in influencing individual and collective health behaviors and facilitating the diffusion of health interventions. Fishing communities in sub-Saharan Africa face socio-cultural and occupational challenges such as low literacy rates and high mobility. However, their high social cohesion creates a unique social environment for spreading health interventions. We explored the role of social relationships …

  • Accessibility and quality of care for adults with hypertension in rural Burkina Faso

    Open AccessStephanie Lacey, Maria Lisa Odland et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2025

    Providing quality healthcare is essential to reduce the future burden of cardiovascular disease. We assessed the quality of care for people with hypertension in Burkina Faso using the Institute of Medicine (IoM) Quality Domains of effectiveness, timeliness of access, patient-centredness and equitability of care. We performed an analysis of cross-sectional household survey data collected from a population-representative sample of 4000 adults ≥40 y…

  • The effect of multi-level HIV prevention interventions on common mental disorders among adolescents and young adults in rural South Africa

    Open AccessNondumiso Mthiyane, Guy Harling et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2025

    This study evaluated the effect of multi-level HIV prevention interventions delivered through DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Motivated, and Safe) program on common mental disorders (CMD) among adolescents and young adults (AYA) in rural South Africa. We used longitudinal data from two cohorts of AYA aged 13–35 years (N = 2184 for cohort 1 and N = 3067 for cohort 2), recruited between May 2017 and December 2018, with data col…

  • Understanding the mental health of adolescents and young adults in rural South Africa through participatory research

    Open AccessNondumiso Mthiyane, Mthobisi Zikhali et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2025

    Most mental health problems in adulthood begin during adolescence. Factors such as poverty, violence, and unemployment contribute to the high burden of mental health problems. In Africa, the lack of resources for diagnosis, treatment, and management exacerbates the situation. Research on adolescent mental health has mostly focused on negative psychological effects, while positive attributes like coping, resilience, and emotional growth have been …

  • Overlapping caregiving demands and their association with poor subjective health and wellbeing and food insecurity among older rural South Africans

    Open AccessFarirai Rusere, Sostina Spiwe Matina et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2025

    As care needs in rural sub-Saharan African communities grow, informal caregiving by older adults is a key and growing familial resource. However, such caregiving may generate unique challenges and consequences for the carers. We examined how caregiving is associated with health, food insecurity and subjective wellbeing among older adults in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa. We used the first two waves of data from the HAALSI cohort study, …

  • Finding knowledge

    Open AccessNtombizonke A Gumede, Siphesihle Hlongwane et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2025

    Identification of candidacy for SRH information in this setting was largely ad-hoc, but once aware of need, youth were able to identify and discriminate between multiple information sources. However, this information landscape was strongly shaped by formal provider and parent views of what youth should know and do, and peer sources limited own knowledge. Future interventions could address concerns at various points on the candidacy journey

  • Distribution of Informal Caregiving for Older Adults Living With or At Risk of Cognitive Decline Within and Beyond Family in Rural South Africa

    Open AccessSostina Spiwe Matina, L Manderson et al.ARTICLEThe Journals of Gerontology…2025Cited by: 1References: 9

    Objectives Aging populations will increasingly need care, much of this provided informally particularly in rural areas and in low and middle-income countries. In rural South Africa, formal support is severely limited, and adult children are frequently unavailable due to morbidity, early mortality, employment, and migration. We describe how care is shared within and between households. Methods We conducted quantitative interviews with 1,012 househ…

  • Variation in Health Status Reports

    Open AccessMichelle R Brear, Michelle Brear et al.ARTICLEJournal of Cross-Cultural…2025References: 32

    Caregivers’ health status is important, given its importance for their own wellbeing and capacity to provide quality care. While single item self-rated health questions in surveys are an efficient measure, responses limit understanding of what people mean when they rate their health in a particular way, and do not address reporting heterogeneity. We draw on data collected in a mixed-method study on the informal caregiving of older people in rural…

  • A Cross-Sectional Study of Sexual Health and Well-Being in Married or Cohabitating Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Nouna, Burkina Faso

    Open AccessOluwadamilola A Omojola, Cristina A Osborne et al.ARTICLEArchives of Sexual Behavior2025References: 42

    Sexual health and well-being is important for middle-aged and older adults, but knowledge is limited on prevalence and determinants in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. We analyzed cross-sectional data collected in 2021 from married or cohabitating adults age ≥ 40 in Nouna, Burkina Faso. Sexual health and well-being were measured using the Sexual Relationships and Activities Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic models w…

  • Walking a tightrope

    Open AccessDorottya Hoór, Vuyiswa Nxumalo et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2025Cited by: 1References: 61

    Supportive social relations are crucial to wellbeing as young adults transition to independence, especially when these transitions are impeded by limited employment and educational opportunities, leading to lengthy 'waithoods'. Yet, there is limited empirical evidence on what young adults' support networks look like in highly resource-constrained settings. We therefore analysed the core support networks of 929 16-29 year-old rural South Africans …

  • Uptake of multi-level HIV interventions and HIV-related behaviours among young people in rural South Africa

    Open AccessNondumiso Mthiyane, M Shahmanesh et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2024

    Combination HIV prevention packages have reduced HIV incidence and improved HIV-related outcomes among young people. However, there is limited data on how package components interact to promote HIV-related prevention behaviours. We described the uptake of HIV prevention interventions supported by Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Motivated and Safe (DREAMS) Partnership and assessed the association between uptake and HIV-related behavio…

  • Social support receipt as a predictor of mortality

    Open AccessDavid Kapaon, Carlos Riumallo-Herl et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2024

    The mechanisms connecting various types of social support to mortality have been well-studied in high-income countries. However, less is known about how these relationships function in different socioeconomic contexts. We examined how four domains of social support—emotional, physical, financial, and informational—impact mortality within a sample of older adults living in a rural and resource-constrained setting. Using baseline survey and longitu…

  • Incident pregnancy and mental health among adolescent girls and young women in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

    Open AccessHelen Mebrahtu, Natsayi Chimbindi et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2024

    Pregnancy can place adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) at risk of poor mental health. However, evidence linking youth pregnancy to mental health in resource-limited settings is limited, especially where HIV incidence is high. We analysed a population-representative cohort of AGYW aged 13-25 in rural KwaZulu-Natal to assess how adolescent pregnancy predicts subsequent mental health. Among 1851 respondents, incident pregnancy (self-reported pa…

  • Conceptualisations of "good care" within informal caregiving networks for older people in rural South Africa

    Open AccessMichelle R Brear, L Manderson et al.ARTICLESocial Science & Medicine2024Cited by: 1References: 17

    Good care in social policy statements is commonly implied as familial and person-centred, provided by family members and focused on upholding the autonomy, dignity and respect of the care recipient. Policy consideration of the relational nature of caregiving, the sociomaterial determinants of good care, the practical knowledge of caregivers and responsibilities of the state, is limited. Drawing on the ethics of care theory and a care ecology fram…

  • Covid-19 vaccine uptake, confidence and hesitancy in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between April 2021 and April 2022

    Open AccessRachael Piltch-Loeb, Lusanda Mazibuko et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2023

    High COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in South Africa limits protection against future epidemic waves. We evaluated how vaccine hesitancy and its correlates evolved April 2021-April 2022 in a well-characterized rural KwaZulu-Natal setting. All residents aged >15 in the Africa Health Research Institute’s surveillance area were invited to complete a home-based, in-person interview. We described vaccine uptake and hesitancy trends, then evaluated associat…

  • Prevalence and correlates of adolescent self-injurious thoughts and behaviors

    Open AccessTracie Ebalu, Jaclyn C Kearns et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of Social…2023

    Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) are a growing concern among youth in sub-Saharan Africa, but their prevalence and correlates in this region are poorly understood. We therefore examined self-reported SITBs in a population-representative sample of youth in rural Burkina Faso. We used interviews from 1,538 adolescents aged 12 to 20 years living in 10 villages and 1 town in northwestern Burkina Faso. Adolescents were asked about their e…

  • Thetha Nami ngithethe nawe (Let’s Talk)

    Open AccessJacob Busang, Thembelihle Zuma et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2023

    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier-NCT05405582. Registered: 6th June 2022

  • Older persons experiences of healthcare in rural Burkina Faso

    Open AccessEllen M Goldberg, Mamadou Bountogo et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2022

    Ensuring responsive healthcare which meets patient expectations and generates trust is important to increase rates of access and retention. This need is important for aging populations where non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing cause of morbidity and mortality. We performed a cross-sectional household survey including socio-demographic; morbidities; and patient-reported health system utilization, responsiveness, and quality outcomes in …

  • Antiretroviral therapy based HIV prevention targeting young women who sell sex

    Open AccessNatsayi Chimbindi, Nondumiso Mthiyane et al.ARTICLEAIDS Care2022

    Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a potential game-changer for HIV. We used PrEP introduction for Young Women Who Sell Sex (YWSS) in a rural South Africa district to understand community norms and PrEP coverage in YWSS. Between 2017 and 2018, we measured awareness and uptake of PrEP in a representative cohort of 2184 Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) aged 13-22. We conducted group discussions with young people and community members (19); k…

  • The double-edged role of accessed status on health and well-being among middle- and older-age adults in rural South Africa

    Open AccessShao-Tzu Yu, Brian Houle et al.ARTICLESSM - Population Health2022

    Supporting social capital theory, we find that having higher accessed status is associated with better health and well-being for older adults in a setting with limited formal support resources. However, the explanatory power of both theories appears to depending on other key factors, such as gender and network size, highlighting the importance of contextualizing theories in practice