No abstract

No abstract

Background: Improved access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and information is essential for supporting adolescents and youth in making informed decisions and optimizing each young person's outcomes related to their SRH, health and well-being and countries' current and future social and economic development. Mobile phones offer opportunities for young people to privately access SRH content and to be linked to SRH services. The objective of this study was to develop the content for an SMS (short message service or "text message") platform jointly with adolescents and youth in three regions in Peru (Lima, Ayacucho and Loreto) as part of the ARMADILLO (Adolescent/Youth Reproductive Mobile Access and Delivery Initiative for Love and Life Outcomes) Study. Methods: Content development was done in three stages. During Stage 1, we held community consultations with 13-17 year old adolescents, 18-24 year old youth and professionals who work with young people through the education and health sectors ("adult advisers") to identify and rate SRH topics of interest through group free-and guided-brainstorming activities and an individual written sharing activity. During Stage 2, the team developed the preliminary domains, sub-domains and content for the SMS platform. During Stage 3, we held focus groups with adolescents to validate the SMS content, including both individual scoring of and group feedback for each SMS. Group feedback asked about their general impressions and understanding and their thoughts about the language and usefulness of the SMS. Results: A total of 172 adolescents and youth ages 13-24 and 20 adult advisers participated. Adolescents and youth brainstormed and rated SRH topics and sub-topics that led to the initial structure for the SMS platform, with 9 domains, 25 sub-domains and 146 draft SMS. Adolescents provided high scores for the SMS, with all sub-domains receiving average scores of 3.0 or higher (out of 4.0) for the SMS included. Adolescents also provided suggestions to optimize content, including improvements to unclear messages, resulting in SMS with adolescent-friendly content in simple, straightforward language. This process also revealed that adolescents lacked knowledge and had misconceptions related to contraceptive methods.

No abstract

Despite restrictive social norms,there is increasing evidence that youth in India engage in premarital romantic and sexual partnerships.However,information on how they initiate and build these relationships is scarce, even though it is vital for addressing the needs of young people. METHODS: Attitudes toward and behavior within romantic partnerships were examined using data collected in 2004 from unmarried youth (583 males and 475 females,aged 15-19) living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Delhi,India.Associations between specific attitudes or behaviors and age,gender and sexual experience were determined using Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of males and 53% of females reported that someone of the opposite sex had expressed an interest in them; 86% of males and 63% of females reported feeling good about it.In addition,67% of males and 47% of females reported that they liked someone from the opposite sex.Compared with females,males were more likely to seek information about the person they were interested in (76% vs.61%),and to engage in heterosexual premarital sex (32% vs.6%).Females were less likely than males to report that it is okay to engage in premarital sex if the male and female love one another (14% vs.33%).For both males and females,television and films were the most popular source of information on issues related to sexual health. CONCLUSIONS: Gender disparities in premarital romantic partnership formation and the experience of sexual relations make a strong case for sexuality education programs tailored to the different experiences and circumstances of young men and women.

No abstract

Background Natural disasters and epidemics can strain already‐fragile health systems, diverting resources away from essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, threatening supply chains, and adversely impacting access to health facilities. Objective To describe how natural disasters and epidemics affect multiple dimensions of SRH service delivery and outcomes, and identify potential approaches to facilitate resumption of services. Search strategy Key words searched in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus. Selection criteria Studies published in English between 2005 and 2020 covering events in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Data collection and analysis This review was developed and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA) 2009 checklist. The initial electronic database searching yielded 64 345 studies, but after screening 13 studies were included in the final review. Main results Across contexts, disruptive events worsened the availability of and women's access to SRH services, contributed to decreased utilization of SRH services, and often resulted in lower use of family planning, particularly methods requiring facility‐based interaction. Conclusion SRH in disaster response plans must be prioritized, as women often lose access to these essential services at a time when they are at their most vulnerable. Evidence regarding effective interventions and policies is lacking.

Research priorities for adolescent health in lowand middle-income countries: A mixed-methods synthesis of two separate exercises Background In order to clarify priorities and stimulate research in adolescent health in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted two priority-setting exercises based on the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) methodology related to 1) adolescent sexual and reproductive health and 2) eight areas of adolescent health including communicable diseases prevention and management, injuries and violence, mental health, non-communicable diseases management, nutrition, physical activity, substance use, and health policy. Although the CHN-RI methodology has been utilized in over 50 separate research priority setting exercises, none have qualitatively synthesized the ultimate findings across studies. The purpose of this study was to conduct a mixed-method synthesis of two research priority-setting exercises for adolescent health in LMICs based on the CHNRI methodology and to situate the priority questions within the current global health agenda. Methods All of the 116 top-ranked questions presented in each exercise were analyzed by two independent reviewers. Word clouds were generated based on keywords from the top-ranked questions. Questions were coded and content analysis was conducted based on type of delivery platform, vulnerable populations, and the Survive, Thrive, and Transform framework from the United Nations Global Strategy for Women' s, Children' s, and Adolescents' Health, 2016-2030. Findings Within the 53 top-ranked intervention-related questions that specified a delivery platform, the platforms specified were schools (n = 17), primary care (n = 12), community (n = 11), parenting (n = 6), virtual media (n = 5), and peers (n = 2). Twenty questions specifically focused on vulnerable adolescents, including those living with HIV, tuberculosis, mental illness, or neurodevelopmental disorders; victims of gender-based violence; refugees; young persons who inject drugs; sex workers; slum dwellers; out-of-school youth; and youth in armed conflict. A majority of the top-ranked questions (108/116) aligned with one or a combination of the Survive (n = 39), Thrive (n = 67), and Transform (n = 28) agendas. Conclusions This study advances the CHNRI methodology by conducting the first mixed-methods synthesis of multiple research priority-setting exercises by analyzing keywords (using word clouds) and themes (using content analysis).