Many Youth Face Grim STD Risks
Adolescents need skills and self-confidence to abstain from sexual
activity or to reduce their risks. Even when adolescents have accurate
knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), they often do
not heed warnings to reduce risky behaviors. Common
Features of Successful STD Programs for adolescents are listed.
Sex Education Helps Prepare Young
Adults
Reproductive health education can be successful in a variety of
settings, including schools and community centers. Sex education can
delay first intercourse and encourages condom use among adolescents
who are already sexually active. Do
Youth Need Information? summarizes surveys among youth to evaluate
their level of knowledge. Reproductive
Health Web Sites for Youth provides a description of Web sites
that specialize in adolescent reproductive health information.
Better Services Can Reduce Abortion
Risks
Fear, shame and desperation lead some young women to end a
pregnancy, often under unsafe conditions. To help reduce deaths and
illnesses caused by abortion, health experts recommend making family
planning services and information widely available to adolescents. A
related article describes research on how Friends,
Family Influence Abortion Decisions.
Some Cultures Tolerate Risky Male
Behavior
Risky behavior among adolescent males can affect women negatively
by encouraging some men to have sex only for physical gratification,
to have multiple partners and to treat women with little respect.
Programs for Adolescents:
Neighborhood Peer Educators in Mali
The Programme des Adolescents in Mali trains girls and boys in
counseling and other educational activities to help promote
contraceptive use among their peers.
Programs for Adolescents: The
"Ashe" Experience in Jamaica
Michael Holgate, a performer in the Ashe Performing Arts Academy
and Ensemble in Jamaica, describes his personal experiences with the
group, which promotes better reproductive health through performances
and workshops.
Programs for Adolescents:
Reproductive Health Merit Badge for Scouts
Working through scouting organizations, the Health of Adolescent
Refugees Project in Uganda, Zambia and Egypt and the Healthy
Adolescent Project in India help adolescents to learn about
reproductive health through a merit badge.
Programs for Adolescents:
Encouraging Youth-friendly Clinics
A South African initiative is planning strategies to improve
services for young clients, including more convenient locations and
hours for clinics.
Opinion: The Need to Evaluate Youth
Programs
The need to evaluate youth programs carefully is outlined by Dr.
Nancy E. Williamson of FHI.
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