Title: Interventions addressing the sexual and reproductive health of young people: What works?

POPLINE Document Number: 305288

Author(s):

Jejeebhoy SJ

Source citation:

Journal of Family Welfare, 2006;52 Spec No:25-32.

Abstract:

There remain many compelling reasons for investing in young people's health and development in India. For one, young people aged 10-24 constitute some 327.2 million and represent 30 per cent of the nation's population. Second and more important, behaviours formed and choices made by this large population have lasting implications for individual and public health, and will not only determine the health of this generation as adults but will also determine the health and future of the nation Third, although cohorts of young people are healthier, more urbanised and better educated than earlier generations, they face significant risks related to sexual and reproductive health, and many young people lack the knowledge and power to make informed sexual and reproductive choices. Fourth, programmes thus far that address young people's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs have had varied success, and many have overlooked the fact that young people are not a homogeneous group, and the ways in which they experience vulnerabilities and the extent to which interventions designed to ameliorate them are successful vary enormously by such factors as age, sex, marital status, class, schooling, work status, family and economic conditions, region and cultural context. Moreover, and further confounding the situation is the lack of evidence-based precedent about effective interventions. (excerpt)

Keywords:

India
Critique
Youth
Reproductive Health
Needs
Interventions
Youth Programs
Program Effectiveness
Best Practices
Sex Education
Program Design
Program Evaluation
Asia, Southern
Asia
Developing Countries
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Health
Economic Factors
Programs
Organization and Administration
Education