FRONTIERS Projects | A Diagnostic Study Relevant to the Promotion of Youth’s Health Behaviors in Alternative Development Zones of Peru

FRONTIERS PROJECT
A Diagnostic Study Relevant to the Promotion of Youth’s Health Behaviors in Alternative Development Zones of Peru

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, researchers from FRONTIERS and the Center for Information and Education on the Prevention of Drug Abuse (CEDRO) studied various groups of young people in the coca-growing zones of Peru to recommend interventions to support healthy development and prevent unplanned pregnancy, drug use, and violence against women.

The study compared youth subpopulations by gender, region, residence, and schooling; assessed the role of parents, teachers, and community leaders as prevention agents; and proposed interventions based on study results. Findings showed that the risks of pregnancy and alcohol and tobacco use increased with age, but risks of violence and drug use did not. Researchers recommended that the community-oriented values generally imparted to girls should be strengthened, as should the protective roles played by parents and teachers. The indicators used in this study can be used as baselines in subsequent studies on youth in this area.

Location

Departments of San Martín, Huánuco, Ucayali, Pasco, Junín, Ayacucho, and Cusco, Peru

Duration

November 2002–December 2003

Population Council researcher

Federico León

Non-Council collaborator

Center for Information and Education on the Prevention of Drug Abuse (CEDRO)

Peru Ministry of Health

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources
Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2004
León, Federico R. and Mary L. Claux. “Youth behavioral risks and psychosocial resources in Peru’s alternative-development zones,” FRONTIERS Final Report. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF, 795 KB)