Interagency Youth Working Group

Youth InfoNet 19 – October 2005

This publication began as part of the YouthNet program (2001-2006), led by Family Health International (FHI). FHI is continuing to produce Youth InfoNet as an activity of the IYWG, beginning with issue No. 28. For copies of the publications listed under Program Resources, please contact the publisher.

How to Request Full-Text Copies of Research Articles:
Developing country users can request full-text copies of most of the research articles listed in each issue of Youth InfoNet. Links are also provided to free full-text documents under Program Resources. To request a copy of a research article, click on the article title. You will be redirected to the IYWG database, where you can add the research article to your Request Basket. To complete your request, click on View Basket at the top right of any page on the IYWG web site. [more help on requesting documents...]

II. RESEARCH SUMMARIES

1. A randomized social network HIV prevention trial with young men who have sex with men in Russia and Bulgaria
2. Cesarean delivery rates in adolescent pregnancy
3. Mothers, daughters and sexual agency in one low-income South African community
4. Sexual risk behaviour among the youth in the era of HIV/AIDS in South Africa
5. Sexual risk behaviour among undergraduate students in Enugu, Nigeria
6. Third-party informed consent in research with adolescents: the good, the bad and the ugly
7. The incidence and prevalence of orphanhood associated with parental HIV infection: a population-based study in Rakai, Uganda

I. WEB SITES DESIGNED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

1. Act Now!

Act Now! is a Spanish-language site that allows young people to express themselves online while learning about health, sexuality, nutrition, democracy, environmental conservation, drug and alcohol prevention, vocational training, and life skills.

2. Advocates for Youth: My Voice Counts! Youth Action Center

My Voice Counts! is a grassroots campaign launched by young people from around the United States seeking sexual health information and services.

3. Auntie Stella

This site from Zimbabwe encourages young people to discuss and seek information on physical and emotional changes in adolescence, relationships with parents, peers and the opposite sex, gender roles, forced sex, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases.

4. Avert Teen Pages (AIDS, Sex & Teens)

This section of the Avert Web site offers information on a wide variety of sexual health topics including contraception, HIV/AIDS, and relationship issues for a global audience. Two unique sections focus on helping teens decide if they are ready to engage in a sexual relationship.

5. Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice! is an anonymous health Q&A Internet service. It works to provide young people with reliable, accessible information and a range of thoughtful perspectives so that they can make responsible decisions concerning their health and well-being. Submitted questions are answered by a team of Columbia University health educators, health care providers, and other health professionals, along with information and research specialists from health-related organizations worldwide.

6. I Wanna Know

This Web site, supported by the American Social Health Association, offers information on teen sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, puberty, and sexual decision-making. It also includes a guide for parents.

7. It's Your (Sex) Life

This site, supported by the Kaiser Family Foundation, offers information about pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and communication methods. Contraceptive options are covered in a special section which includes pictures of the method, advantages and disadvantages of its use, and risk associated with use. An interactive quiz tests users' knowledge of contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. A section designated for parents is also included.

8. Kimasomaso

Kimasomaso is a BBC World Service Trust/BBC Swahili service program thatincorporates a glossary of information on sexual and reproductive health for young people in Swahili.

9. Like It Is

This site provides comprehensive information on sexual health and relationships geared toward young people in Australia and the United Kingdom. Topics covered include puberty and menstruation, and various quizzes can be taken online.

10. loveLife

This site from South Africa provides information on HIV/AIDS for young people. It also includes book and movie reviews, music, and articles on pop culture to encourage healthy lifestyles and responsible living. Resources for parents are also available.

11. Scarleteen

This online magazine, based in the United States and aimed at young women, provides educationon contraception, safe sex, sexually transmitted diseases, anatomy, sexual and romantic relationship and communication tools, and care and compassion.

12. Sex, Etc.

Written almost exclusively by teens, this site covers sexuality and health including sections on teen parenting, pregnancy, emotional health, body image, and relationships. While focused on the U.S., it includes an interactive tool for global audiences, so visitors can e-mail questions to experts and receive an individual response.

13. Sexuality and U

Based in Canada and available in French and English, this site comprehensively covers sexual health and sexuality. Interactive features include games, tools for discussion, and quizzes.

14. Sexwise - BBC

This BBC World Service site provides sexual and reproductive health information for young people and is designed like a travel guide to help them through issues such as puberty, menstruation, circumcision, contraception, and more. Audio clips offer descriptions from young people about these health topics.

15. Staying Alive

Staying Alive is an international campaign that provides information on HIV/AIDS prevention and protection, promotes safer lifestyle choices, and encourages people to fight stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. It is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and German.

16. Teen Advice Online

This site is supported by a global network of youth counselors. Information on sex, relationships, and depression is covered by questions and answers from around the world.

17. TeenAIDS

This site from TeenAIDS PeerCorps is designed to support the larger group's purpose of helping teenagers pass the news about HIV and AIDS among their generation to save the lives of family, friends, and neighbors. An expanded version in multiple languages is scheduled for launch by the end of 2005.

18. Teenwire

This site in English and Spanish, from Planned Parenthood Federation of America, offers information on sexuality and health. Its "Ask the Experts" section allows young people to ask questions online and participate in chats.

19. Voices of Youth

This UNICEF site is a place for youth to answer questions and react to global human rights issues including HIV/AIDS. Informational sections about HIV/AIDS, education, the millennium development goals, and other issues are highlighted. Discussion boards and sections on advocacy and participation offer ideas for youth involvement.

20. Youthink

This site from the World Bank provides information on topics including HIV/AIDS, development, education, gender, and globalization. Each section presents basic information, action others are taking, and what young people can do to help. Interactive features include multimedia presentations, online quizzes, and discussion boards.

21. Y-PEER

The Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER) site provides information and resources to support the development of peer education projects. Started in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 27 country-specific pages share experiences from the field. The Peer Classroom provides expert information on sexual and reproductive health and suggestions for lessons with peer educators. Visitors can also connect to peer educators via country-specific forums and chat rooms.

II. RESEARCH SUMMARIES

1. A randomized social network HIV prevention trial with young men who have sex with men in Russia and Bulgaria. Amirkhanian YA, Kelly JA, Kabakchieva E, et al. AIDS 2005;19(16).
In order to evaluate the effects of an HIV prevention intervention with social networks of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Sofia, Bulgaria, researchers conducted a two-arm randomized trial with a longitudinally-followed community cohort. Fifty-two MSM social networks were recruited through access points in high-risk community venues. Network members (n=276) were assessed to determine risk characteristics, administered sociometric measures to empirically identify the social leader of each network, and counseled in risk reduction. The leaders of 25 experimental condition networks attended a nine-session program that provided training and guidance in delivering ongoing theory-based HIV prevention advice to other network members. Leaders successively targeted network members' AIDS risk-related knowledge and risk reduction norms, attitudes, intentions, and self-efficacy. Participants were re-administered risk assessment measures at three- and 12-month follow-ups. At three-month follow-up, the percentage of experimental network members reporting unprotected intercourse (UI) declined from 71.8 to 48.4 percent. The percentage who engaged in UI with multiple partners reduced from 31.5 to 12.9 percent. After 12 months, the effects became attenuated but remained among participants who had multiple recent sexual partners, the most vulnerable group.

2. Cesarean delivery rates in adolescent pregnancy. Zeteroglu S, Sahin I, Gol K. Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care 2005;10(2).
Researchers investigated the rates of cesarean deliveries in two Turkish hospitals among adolescent mothers younger than 18 years, over a five-year period. The adult controls (older than age 18) were further divided into two age groups: 18-35 years and older than 35 years. A total of 40,391 pregnant women were evaluated in both hospitals; cesarean delivery rates in adolescents were not higher than in adults. Moreover, in the community hospital, the cesarean delivery rate in adolescents was significantly lower (17 percent vs. 29 percent).

3. Mothers, daughters and sexual agency in one low-income South African community. Lesch E, Kruger LM. Soc Sci Med 2005;61(5).
This article is part of a larger study exploring female adolescent sexuality in a South African low-income, rural community. Researchers interviewed 25 adolescents, aged 14-18 years, about how they viewed their sexuality. Results revealed that the mothers of the young women were powerful agents in the young womens' perceptions of their own sexuality, and they unintentionally contributed to their daughters' limited sense of sexual agency, or control of one's sexuality. Mothers presented sex as a dangerous activity to their daughters. This discourse of sex as danger contributed towards a mutual understanding that sex should not be talked about. While daughters' deception of their mothers about their sexual activity maintained some mother-daughter connections, it left them unable to talk freely to their mothers about sexual and reproductive health issues.

4. Sexual risk behaviour among the youth in the era of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Zambuko O, Mturi AJ. J Biosoc Sci 2005;37(5).
Researchers analyzed data from the "Transitions to Adulthood in the Context of AIDS in South Africa" surveys of 1999 and 2001 to identify factors associated with high sexual risk behavior among youth. The results show increasingly consistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse and that high sexual risk behavior among youth is predominantly determined by social factors such as 'ever-pregnant' or 'ever made pregnant,' 'ever given something for sex,' age of sexual partner, 'currently in school', 'pressured by friends to have sex', peer influence on safe sex, and education level for males. There is evidence that availability of contraception information is important in strategic interventions that seek to change the sexual behavior of the youth in South Africa.

5. Sexual risk behaviour among undergraduate students in Enugu, Nigeria. Okafor II, Obi SN. J Obstet Gynaecol 2005;25(6).
Researchers administered a survey to undergraduate students in Nigeria, to identify high-risk sexual behavior among such students in a developing country, and to formulate programs targeted at reduction of complications of such risky sexual behavior. The prevalence of sexual activity was 76.8 percent, with 85.4 percent of females and 62.3 percent of males having more than one sexual partner. More female students than their male counterparts (65.7 percent versus 42.2 percent) had their first sexual encounter as an adolescent. Sexual risk behaviors, including having multiple sexual partners, not using a condom, and anal or oral sex, were more common among the lower social class, adolescents, females, and those living off-campus. While economic reasons are a major factor that encourages risky sexual behavior in young women, the urge to have sex and curiosity accompanied sexual experimentation by young men. Despite a good knowledge of the complications that could follow such risky sex behavior, the sex lives of the students remained unchanged.

6. Third-party informed consent in research with adolescents: the good, the bad and the ugly. Geluda K, Bisaglia JB, Moreira V, et al. Soc Sci Med 2005;61(5).
Third-party informed consent for child and adolescent participation in research is a legal requirement that has been questioned by authors who argue that children over 10 are fully able to make decisions regarding this matter. The extent to which this requirement encumbers survey research in this age range has not been fully reported. In order to understand the reasons for the inconsistent use of condoms among adolescent students in Rio de Janeiro, a survey was designed based on an anonymous self-reported questionnaire. Two informed consent forms were distributed: one for the adolescent and one for the legal representative. Participation was offered to all students aged 12-18 attending class on the day of the consent form distribution. Among 906 distributed legal representative consent forms, 734 (81 percent) were not returned. The final sample probably presented a bias of selection. The authors conclude that third-party consent is a major encumbrance and that there is a need for the definition of a range of interventions in which the adolescent might have the legal recognition of autonomy for decisions about his/her voluntary participation.

7. The incidence and prevalence of orphanhood associated with parental HIV infection: a population-based study in Rakai, Uganda. Makumbi FE, Gray RH, Serwadda D, et al. AIDS 2005;19(15).
To assess the prevalence and incidence of orphanhood, and the population-attributable fraction (PAF) of incident orphanhood associated with parental HIV infection, researchers examined a rural Ugandan population with a 14.8 percent adult HIV prevalence. Census data were collected on all resident members in 10,657 households. Consenting adults were interviewed, provided blood for HIV testing, and were followed up 10 months later to determine parental death and incident orphanhood. The overall prevalence of orphanhood was higher among children of HIV-infected parents (22.7 percent) compared with children of uninfected parents, (7.9 percent). The annual incidence of orphanhood was 8.2 percent if at least one parent was HIV positive, and 0.5 percent if both parents were HIV negative. Risk of orphanhood from all causes increased as the age of the child increased, as well as when the age of the mother increased. The PAF of incident orphanhood due to parental HIV infection was 37.3 percent, and was highest among younger children and children with mothers younger than 25 years.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Government or The Johns Hopkins University.

Resources On Youth Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS

Youth InfoNet 19 – October 2005

I. WEB SITES DESIGNED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

II. RESEARCH SUMMARIES

I. WEB SITES DESIGNED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

II. RESEARCH SUMMARIES