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Full-Text Articles in Public Health

Improving The Reproductive Health Of Adolescents In Senegal, Nafissatou J. Diop, Heli Bathidja, Isseu Diop Toure, Thierno Dieng, Babacar Mane, Saumya Ramarao, Susan E. Adamchak, Emelita Wong, Adama Ndoye, Aboubacry Sy, Babacar Fall Jan 2004

Improving The Reproductive Health Of Adolescents In Senegal, Nafissatou J. Diop, Heli Bathidja, Isseu Diop Toure, Thierno Dieng, Babacar Mane, Saumya Ramarao, Susan E. Adamchak, Emelita Wong, Adama Ndoye, Aboubacry Sy, Babacar Fall

Reproductive Health

In October 1999, the Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program began a three-year collaboration with the World Health Organization, the Senegal Ministries of Health, Education, and Youth, the Center for Research and Training in Health and Population, and the Population Training Group to test interventions to improve the reproductive health of youth aged 10–19. The community-based intervention included sensitization on adolescent reproductive health for community and religious leaders, reaching parents through women’s groups, and education sessions led by peer educators using a life-skills curriculum. As part of the clinic-based intervention, providers and peer educators were trained to offer youth-friendly services. …


Improving The Reproductive Health Of Youth In Mexico, Ricardo Vernon, Maricela Dura Jan 2004

Improving The Reproductive Health Of Youth In Mexico, Ricardo Vernon, Maricela Dura

Reproductive Health

This project assessed the impact of the Mexican Foundation for Family Planning’s Young People Program (YPP) on: a) the attitudes of community stakeholders toward informing youth about reproductive health issues and making reproductive health services available for sexually-active youth; b) the sexual and reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of adolescents; and c) the way that providers offer reproductive health services to adolescents. In addition, the project determined whether adding a school-based sex education component increased the impact of community interventions on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of adolescents. Survey results showed that the reproductive health knowledge and attitudes of …


Transitions To Adulthood In The Context Of Aids In South Africa: The Impact Of Exposure To Life Skills Education On Adolescent Knowledge, Skills, And Behavior, The Transitions To Adulthood Study Team Jan 2004

Transitions To Adulthood In The Context Of Aids In South Africa: The Impact Of Exposure To Life Skills Education On Adolescent Knowledge, Skills, And Behavior, The Transitions To Adulthood Study Team

HIV and AIDS

This study is a collaborative research project of the University of Natal-Durban, the Horizons program, and Tulane University. One objective of the study was to contribute to understanding the effectiveness of life skills education in changing behavior in South Africa. The findings indicate substantial short-to-medium-term effects of exposure to life skills education on certain areas of sexual and reproductive health-related knowledge, confidence to use condoms, and condom use behavior. Further research is needed to assess whether the observed effects are transitory or long-term in nature, whether the observed behavioral changes have an impact on HIV infection rates among youth, and …


Condom Use And Abstinence Among Unmarried Young People In Zimbabwe: Which Strategy, Whose Agenda?, Ravai Marindo, Steve Pearson, John B. Casterline Jan 2003

Condom Use And Abstinence Among Unmarried Young People In Zimbabwe: Which Strategy, Whose Agenda?, Ravai Marindo, Steve Pearson, John B. Casterline

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper compares the views about abstinence and condom use expressed by young people in Zimbabwe in focus-group discussions with the views underlying national policies and religious and traditional beliefs. Young people’s decisions to adopt one or the other of these risk-reduction strategies may not necessarily indicate genuine individual choices, but rather their deference to adults’ interests as they understand those interests. Policymakers and traditional and Christian leaders promote abstinence as the exclusive strategy for all young people, whereas nongovernmental organizations and the private sector promote condom use. Evidence from the focus-group discussions indicates that adolescents are aware of this …


Primary Schooling In Sub-Saharan Africa: Recent Trends And Current Challenges, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Paul C. Hewett Jan 2003

Primary Schooling In Sub-Saharan Africa: Recent Trends And Current Challenges, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

At the dawn of the twenty-first century we estimate that more than 37 million young adolescents aged 10-14 in sub-Saharan Africa will not complete primary school. Our estimates are based on data from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys from 26 countries, collectively representing 83 percent of the sub-Saharan youth population. This number is nearly twice the entire population of children aged 10-14 in the United States, virtually all of whom will complete primary school. Reducing the number of uneducated African youth is a primary objective of the United Nations as laid out in the Millennium Development Goal for education, …


Adolescents And Youth In Pakistan 2001-2002: A Nationally Representative Survey, Zeba Sathar, Minhaj Ul Haque, Azeema Faizunnissa, Munawar Sultana, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Judith A. Diers, Monica J. Grant Jan 2003

Adolescents And Youth In Pakistan 2001-2002: A Nationally Representative Survey, Zeba Sathar, Minhaj Ul Haque, Azeema Faizunnissa, Munawar Sultana, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Judith A. Diers, Monica J. Grant

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Published by the Population Council's Islamabad office, this is the first comprehensive survey of Pakistani youth. The report provides an unprecedented view of young people's experiences with and attitudes about education, employment, families, and marriage. The report findings confirm the large differences in the current situation of adolescents and youth, males versus females, from different strata of residence and economic status. Addressing these requires government intervention, changes in attitude, and input from the media, women and youth groups, and members of civil society.


Peer Education As A Strategy To Increase Contraceptive Prevalence And Reduce The Rate Of Stis/Hiv Among Adolescents In Cameroon, Institut De Recherche Et Des Etudes Des Comportements (Iresco) Jan 2002

Peer Education As A Strategy To Increase Contraceptive Prevalence And Reduce The Rate Of Stis/Hiv Among Adolescents In Cameroon, Institut De Recherche Et Des Etudes Des Comportements (Iresco)

Reproductive Health

The Institute for Behavioral Studies and Research completed an operations research project entitled “Among Youth” targeting adolescents in the Mokolo neighborhood of Yaoundé, Cameroon. The results presented in this report show that adolescents in Mokolo, more often than their counterparts in the control site, adopted behavioral changes to prevent STI/HIV transmission and unwanted pregnancies as a result of the intervention. The report concludes that peer education combined with mass media campaigns form an important strategy for targeting youth with reproductive health and family planning messages and can help adolescents translate knowledge into healthy lifestyles. Integration of reproductive health messages into …


How Community Structures Of Time And Opportunity Shape Adolescent Sexual Behavior In South Africa, Carol E. Kaufman, Shelley Clark, Ntsiki Manzini, Julian May Jan 2002

How Community Structures Of Time And Opportunity Shape Adolescent Sexual Behavior In South Africa, Carol E. Kaufman, Shelley Clark, Ntsiki Manzini, Julian May

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Recently, South Africa has led the world in rates of HIV/AIDS infection. Particularly among young adults, the prevalence of HIV has soared, now reaching 25 percent. The statistics suggest a high level of unprotected sex and risky sexual behavior even in the midst of high levels of knowledge. Research has focused on the dynamics of individuals’ and partners’ sexual decisionmaking. Little is known, however, about the larger context in which those decisions are made. What are the everyday experiences that influence risk-taking? Are young people with little to do more likely to engage in risky behavior? Do community opportunities of …


Pregnant Or Positive: Adolescent Childbearing And Hiv Risk In South Africa, Naomi Rutenberg, Carol E. Kaufman, Kate Macintyre, Lisanne Brown, Ali Mehyrar Karim Jan 2002

Pregnant Or Positive: Adolescent Childbearing And Hiv Risk In South Africa, Naomi Rutenberg, Carol E. Kaufman, Kate Macintyre, Lisanne Brown, Ali Mehyrar Karim

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In communities where early age of childbearing is common and HIV prevalence is high, adolescent boys and girls may place themselves at risk of HIV to realize their childbearing preferences. In this paper, we analyze survey data from Kwa-Zulu-Natal province that explores whether an association exists between pregnancy preferences and behavioral and perceptual measures of HIV risk among adolescents in South Africa. Our analysis is based on data from 1,426 sexually active respondents aged 14-22 who participated in wave 1 of the “Transitions to Adulthood in the Context of AIDS in South Africa” study. We use logistic regression to model …


Premarital Sex In Vietnam: Is The Current Concern With Adolescent Reproductive Health Warranted?, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark, Dang Nguyen Anh Jan 2002

Premarital Sex In Vietnam: Is The Current Concern With Adolescent Reproductive Health Warranted?, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark, Dang Nguyen Anh

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To the extent that research on Vietnamese adolescents has been conducted, it has been concerned with unprotected and unsanctioned sexual activity and its health consequences, namely abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV. The question we pose is whether this concern is warranted. Is the population community justified in focusing its attention on early sexual activity and HIV risk? Even if the sexual behavior of young people can be considered problematic, are there perhaps other aspects of young people’s lives that should give us greater pause? The paper reviews the literature on adolescent sexual behavior in Vietnam and analyzes data …


An Assessment Of Youth Centres In South Africa, Annabel Erulkar, Mags Beksinska, Queen Cebekhulu Jan 2001

An Assessment Of Youth Centres In South Africa, Annabel Erulkar, Mags Beksinska, Queen Cebekhulu

Reproductive Health

Within South Africa there is much interest in expanding youth center programs, particularly in the nongovernmental sector, in part because of recognition that the HIV/AIDS crisis is disproportionately affecting young South Africans. This study was designed to give implementing agencies and donors a broad view of how the youth centers function, who they reach, and the quality of information and services. The assessment underscored the importance of monitoring the performance of programs and understanding who is being reached with what interventions. Youth centers that focus on providing recreational facilities attract a large number of clients, often boys who are repeat …


South Africa: Providers Should Encourage Sexually Active Youth To Use Condoms, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2001

South Africa: Providers Should Encourage Sexually Active Youth To Use Condoms, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

To assess the effectiveness of youth centers in reaching adolescents with reproductive health information, life skills, and services, the Reproductive Health Research Unit in KwaZulu Natal and the Population Council conducted an assessment of 12 youth centers and their affiliated peer education programs. The centers were run by the KwaZulu Natal Department of Health, the loveLife program, and the Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program. Researchers also examined young people’s use of condoms as protection against pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Data sources for this study, conducted in 2000, were an inventory of youth center services, interviews with center staff and clients, …


South Africa: Who Uses Youth Centers And Why?, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2001

South Africa: Who Uses Youth Centers And Why?, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

In 2000, the Reproductive Health Research Unit in KwaZulu Natal and the Population Council conducted an assessment of 12 youth centers and 7 affiliated peer education programs. The 12 centers, located in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, offer very different services. The two centers of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health focus on providing reproductive health (RH) information and services to adolescents. The six centers of the Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Project provide a broader range of youth-friendly RH services, including counseling and life skills education, as well as modest recreational activities. The four centers run by loveLife have large …


Hiv Voluntary Counseling And Testing Among Youth Ages 14 To 21: Results From An Exploratory Study In Nairobi, Kenya, And Kampala And Masaka, Uganda, Horizons Program, Kenya Project Partners, Uganda Project Partners Jan 2001

Hiv Voluntary Counseling And Testing Among Youth Ages 14 To 21: Results From An Exploratory Study In Nairobi, Kenya, And Kampala And Masaka, Uganda, Horizons Program, Kenya Project Partners, Uganda Project Partners

HIV and AIDS

HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) programs increase safe sexual behavior and use of care and support services among adults. By helping clients learn their HIV serostatus and creating a personalized HIV risk-reduction plan, VCT can provide the information and support necessary to change risky behaviors that could lead to HIV infection or transmission. Counseling and a risk-reduction plan are the key features distinguishing VCT from other HIV testing services. VCT has become a widely advocated HIV/AIDS prevention strategy among adults. Sixty percent of all new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa, however, occur among young people ages 10–24. Because few …


Egypt: Encourage Journalists To Cover Reproductive Health, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2000

Egypt: Encourage Journalists To Cover Reproductive Health, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

To raise public awareness of reproductive health (RH) issues, the Population Council’s Frontiers project and the Futures Group’s Policy project jointly organized four press briefings and provided background materials to key journalists from Arabic newspapers and magazines. From May 1999 to June 2000, project staff worked closely with 20 Egyptian journalists, including editors of women’s pages and senior editors. The press briefings covered youth, marriage patterns, contraceptive technology, and menopause. The press kit prepared for each briefing contained fact sheets, reference materials, a contact list of key experts, and an evaluation sheet. To assess RH reporting and track coverage resulting …


Egypte: Encourager Les Journalistes À Couvrir Les Questions Relatives À La Santé De La Reproduction, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2000

Egypte: Encourager Les Journalistes À Couvrir Les Questions Relatives À La Santé De La Reproduction, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

No abstract provided.


A Participatory Evaluation Of The Life-Skills Training Programme In Myanmar, Unicef, Population Council Jan 2000

A Participatory Evaluation Of The Life-Skills Training Programme In Myanmar, Unicef, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 1993 UNICEF/Myanmar launched an innovative project aimed at preventing the further spread of HIV/AIDS through the promotion of reproductive health. One of the activities undertaken was life-skills training for women and youth, conducted in collaboration with the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) and the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association (MMCWA). The objective of the training activities was to encourage and promote informed decision-making and care-seeking behavior among youth and women. The training aims to provide detailed and accurate information concerning sexuality, birth spacing, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV/AIDS, and to provide skills for youth and women to enable …


Investing In Youth: Testing Community-Based Approaches For Improving Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health, Tamara Fetters, Fines Munkonze, Julie Solo Jan 1999

Investing In Youth: Testing Community-Based Approaches For Improving Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health, Tamara Fetters, Fines Munkonze, Julie Solo

Reproductive Health

The world is now sustaining the largest number of youth in human history; today there are nearly 900 million 10–19-year-olds and their health and livelihood issues are becoming increasingly important to policymakers worldwide. In Zambia, as in many other countries, young people face severe problems, including limited access to jobs, secondary education, and health care. The social, economic, and peer pressures that youth face often lead to high levels of sexual activity, often with subsequent negative impacts on their sexual and reproductive health. In spite of the magnitude of the reproductive health problems facing youth, they still have limited access …


Needs And Risks Facing The Indonesian Youth Population, Desti Murdijana Jan 1998

Needs And Risks Facing The Indonesian Youth Population, Desti Murdijana

Reproductive Health

Youth are the leaders of tomorrow, but right now they face a formidable collection of problems that will determine the quality of their future lives and the lives of us all. Education, jobs, substance abuse, violence, sexuality, and marriage are examples of adolescent issues that demand special attention from researchers, youth activists and advocates, parents, and policymakers. In attempting to address these complex issues, we must be willing to confront ignorance, controversy, and cultural obstacles. Clear and focused policy and strategies must play a basic role in tackling these issues facing Indonesian adolescents. This paper provides a concise situation analysis …


The Uncharted Passage: Girls' Adolescence In The Developing World, Barbara Mensch, Judith Bruce, Margaret E. Greene Jan 1998

The Uncharted Passage: Girls' Adolescence In The Developing World, Barbara Mensch, Judith Bruce, Margaret E. Greene

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Adolescence is a formative time of transition to adulthood. What happens between the ages of 10 and 19 shapes how girls and boys live out their lives as women and men—not only in the reproductive arena, but in the social and economic realm as well. Yet, despite its impact on human development, adolescence has been sidelined as a research and policy subject in developing countries. While all adolescents deserve our attention, the needs of adolescent girls in the developing world are particularly pressing. This monograph focuses on these girls, presenting statistics to examine the social and economic context of their …


Youth Talk About Sexuality: A Participatory Assessment Of Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health In Lusaka, Zambia, Tamara Fetters, Evans Mupela, Naomi Rutenberg Jan 1998

Youth Talk About Sexuality: A Participatory Assessment Of Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health In Lusaka, Zambia, Tamara Fetters, Evans Mupela, Naomi Rutenberg

Reproductive Health

Thirty-six percent of Zambia’s 9 million inhabitants are between 10 and 19 years of age, and most adolescents are sexually active by their mid-teens. Pregnant teenagers have an elevated risk of maternal mortality and complications related to birth. In 1990, at Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital, self-induced abortion accounted for up to 30 percent of maternal mortality, and one-quarter of these deaths occurred in women under 18 years. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major health problem for adolescents, yet only a small proportion protect themselves from pregnancy and STIs. There are many barriers to improving the situation, including opposition by …


Youth Centres In Ghana: Assessment Of The Planned Parenthood Association Of Ghana Programme, Evam Kofi Glover, Annabel Erulkar, Joana Nerquaye-Tetteh Jan 1998

Youth Centres In Ghana: Assessment Of The Planned Parenthood Association Of Ghana Programme, Evam Kofi Glover, Annabel Erulkar, Joana Nerquaye-Tetteh

Reproductive Health

The sexual and reproductive health of adolescents has become a major public concern, particularly with the advent of HIV/AIDS. Many organizations have tried to find strategies to reach youth with reproductive health (RH) information and services through various service delivery models. One such model has been the multipurpose youth center approach. Multipurpose youth centers typically include recreational or vocational services as entry points for RH and family planning (FP) information and services. There is some evidence in a variety of African settings (notably Kenya and Zimbabwe) suggesting that these centers are underutilized and not cost-effective. As a result, the Planned …


Seminar On Male Involvement In Reproductive Health In Egypt: Summary Of Research Findings And Future Directions, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab Jan 1998

Seminar On Male Involvement In Reproductive Health In Egypt: Summary Of Research Findings And Future Directions, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab

Reproductive Health

As more work in the area of male involvement in reproductive health (RH) is expected in Egypt, it is important that researchers and donor agencies become aware of existing studies, topics covered, and main research findings so duplication can be avoided. It is also important that policymakers and program managers learn about the results of existing studies so they can use those results in designing more effective policies to increase male involvement in Egypt. To address this need, the Population Council’s ANE OR/TA Project organized a seminar on “Disseminating Results of Research on Male Involvement in Reproductive Health in Egypt” …


Workshop On Youth Across Asia, John Townsend, Ann P. Mccauley, Kokila Agarwal Jan 1998

Workshop On Youth Across Asia, John Townsend, Ann P. Mccauley, Kokila Agarwal

Reproductive Health

The issues facing youth across Asia are as diverse as the cultures they represent. Issues involving schooling, employment, sexuality, and marriage take on increased significance for young people aged 10–24 in every country. Decisions made by youth and their families will dramatically affect their individual welfare. Few programs outside of public education systems exist at a sufficiently large scale to assist youth. Decisions to stay in school, opportunities to learn skills and manage resources, the exercise of sexual responsibility, and the process of family formation all impact both personal welfare and community development. Gender-equality issues compound many of the problems. …


Strengthening The Research Capacity Of Planned Parenthood Association Of Ghana, Robert A. Miller Jan 1998

Strengthening The Research Capacity Of Planned Parenthood Association Of Ghana, Robert A. Miller

Reproductive Health

The Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) is one of the most active nongovernmental organizations delivering reproductive health (RH) services in Ghana, focusing particularly on youth issues and services. USAID suggested to the Population Council’s Africa OR/TA Project II staff that PPAG might benefit from technical assistance. A large and well-funded IPPF program to promote sexual health among youth of the Volta Region offered a good opportunity to begin OR work. Earlier, the program was envisioned as a demonstration educational program of five years duration. Further discussions suggested that this program was unlikely to be duplicated anywhere, because of its …


Youth Centres In Kenya: Evaluation Of The Family Planning Association Of Kenya Programme, Annabel Erulkar, Barbara Mensch Jan 1997

Youth Centres In Kenya: Evaluation Of The Family Planning Association Of Kenya Programme, Annabel Erulkar, Barbara Mensch

Reproductive Health

Since 1987, the Family Planning Association of Kenya (FPAK) has operated two youth centers, one in Nairobi and the other in Mombasa. The centers target unmarried youth aged 10–24 and their primary objective is reduction in incidence of sexual and reproductive-health-related problems. These centers offer recreational and sports facilities, counseling services, including reproductive health (RH) information, limited RH services, and referrals. In 1996, FPAK undertook a systematic evaluation of its youth-center program including a situation analysis of the centers, a survey in their catchment areas, and an analysis of program costs. The main strength of the program was found to …


The Youth Empowerment Project: Strengthening Ngo Management, Research And Service Delivery Capabilities In Botswana, Mercy Rapelesega, Naomi Rutenberg Jan 1997

The Youth Empowerment Project: Strengthening Ngo Management, Research And Service Delivery Capabilities In Botswana, Mercy Rapelesega, Naomi Rutenberg

Reproductive Health

In an expansion of its efforts to fight a growing HIV epidemic and high teenage pregnancy rates, the Government of Botswana is encouraging nongovernmental organizations (NG0s) to be more active in providing reproductive health (RH) services, and especially HIV/AIDS education and care, to adolescents. NG0s have the potential to assume a larger role as health and education providers as well as implement pilot projects that the public health sector could learn from to increase the availability and quality of RH services for youth. The Africa OR/TA Project II designed and implemented the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) to assist youth-oriented NG0s …