Youth Challenges
Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Teenagers
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Busisiwe Nkala Dlamini
The delivery of health care services directed to young people has become a topic of increasing interest especially in the context of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The national adolescent friendly clinics initiative (NAFCI) in South Africa based its development and implementation on the fact that offering services through public sector is the accessible and sustainable approach. The study explored perceptions of teenagers regarding their expectations of youth friendly services responsiveness to their sexual and reproductive health needs. Six focus groups and 198 surveys were conducted with boys. Survey results indicated the need for service that is closer (39%), offer services required by teenagers (20%), convenient (16%), other (10%) is the only service they know (9%), confidentiality is ensured (7%) and staff is friendly (6%). Focus group discussions were of the opinion that the conventional method of services delivery in the form of clinic and youth centres is no longer suited to meet their needs. They desire services to be ‘within their reach’, and to ‘come closer to people’. These findings indicate that participants have ideas and aspirations of a services that will reach young people and not young people reaching the services. Clearly a responsive health care programme can provide substantial benefits to the well-being of teenagers such as preventing unintended teenage pregnancy and will benefit the individual, society and future generations. Therefore, there is a dire need to transform the current service delivery model and explore other available avenues to ensure that health services reach teenagers.
The Effects of a Community-based Swim Program on Underserved Youth
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Daniela Susnara
Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among children ages 1 to 14. Within this population, children of minorities, or from underserved communities, are more likely to be subject to these statistics. The fatal drowning rate of African American children ages 5 to 14 is nearly three times that of white children (CDC, 2017). This study aims to assess the effectiveness of an on-going community-based swim program offering short-term swim lessons to an underserved population of children ages 4 to 14. In total, 125 children and their parents agreed to participate in the study and completed the program. All children completed pre and post surveys which measured their knowledge and confidence in water safety. Additionally, all children completed pre and post American Red Cross “Learn-to-Swim” assessments. Upon completion of the program, focus group interviews were completed with all children. Our findings revealed the students successfully improved swim skills and water safety knowledge, while also increasing personal confidence in and around the water. Data from the pre and post “Learn-to-Swim” assessments indicates a significant number of participants improved their swimming ability and skill by at least one “Learn-to-Swim” level. The percentage of children in the non-swimming group declined dramatically by completion of the program. In conclusion, a summer swim program through a community led approach can lead to improved skills, knowledge, and character among children in this study over a short period of time. The findings can be applied to similar groups of children in other underserved communities.
Addressing Food Insecurity and Health at San Francisco State University
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jewlee Gardner, Karen Boyce
In 2018 the CSU system released a report revealing 41.6% of students identified as food insecure. Join this presentation to learn how San Francisco State University took action to address food insecurity among students through innovative campus initiatives including, a student-run food pantry, leftover food notification app, Feed a Gator meal donation program and CalFresh enrollment assistance. Pulling from San Francisco State's success in addressing food insecurity among a highly diverse student population in a large urban University, participants will have the opportunity to identify realistic strategies they can implement within their organization to support food security.
AIDS Online International: HIV/AIDS Education, Prevention and HIV-Related Risk Behaviors of Student Participants
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sharron Jenkins
In the United States, one in four new HIV infections are among youth ages 13-24 and globally AIDS is the second leading cause death among young people ages 10-24. Studies show that low HIV and sexual health knowledge is a key barrier to reducing HIV infections among youth. In this study, we describe the impact of an online college-credit HIV/AIDS course on student HIV-related risk behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of HIV. The course, entitled AIDS Online International (AOI), was offered at Purdue University Northwest over a period of six years and 18 consecutive semesters (Spring 2010 – Fall 2015, 943 students). All students participated in an online pre/post-course survey (PreCAS, PostCAS). Using a custom textbook and the Blackboard learning platform, students participated in five months of in-depth activities/studies including HIV prevention, transmission, testing, treatment, the science of HIV disease, drug therapy, the global impact of HIV/AIDS, and more. After taking AOI, students reported 1) more HIV prevention discussions with sexual partners (PreCAS-13±7%, PostCAS-24±10%) and peers (PreCAS-19±6%, PostCAS-51±10%), 2) more reluctance in having unsafe sex (PostCAS-80±7%), 3) a change in behaviors that placed them at risk of infection (PreCAS-23±9%, PostCAS-42±7%), 4) confidence in how to prevent HIV infection (PreCAS-23±6%, PostCAS-78±7%), 5) increased belief that HIV causes AIDS (PreCAS-75±11%, PostCAS-90±6%), and 6) increased willingness to care for a relative with HIV (PreCAS-66±8%, PostCAS-81±9%). Overall, the course had a positive impact on student risk behaviors, and AOI has proven to be a viable and sustainable model in HIV/AIDS education and prevention strategies.
