Strengthening Safe Sex Decisionmaking: Creating Conditions for Scaling Up Access to Life Skill Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Condom Services
A Council project in Bangladesh provided male youth with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and skills and access to condoms for safer sex practices.
In Bangladesh, young people are vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS because they lack sexual and reproductive health information and skills, as well as access to health services, including condoms.
In Phase I of this project, Population Council researchers conducted an operations research (OR) study to assess the feasibility of expanding access to sexual and reproductive health information and condom services for male youth by their peers at youth clubs. The project was implemented in 11 youth clubs in collaboration with Bangladesh's Department of Youth Development and its Ministry of Youth and Sports.
In Phase II, successful interventions from the OR study were scaled up in 60 youth clubs to identify programmatic and operational issues for national-level replication.
The Phase II scaling-up activities included:
- building the capacity of club officials as monitors;
- building the capacity of instructors in youth training centers as master trainers;
- establishing referral mechanisms between clubs and health facilities; and
- empowering male youth with sexual and reproductive health information and skills, as well as access to condoms for safer sex practices.
The trained peer educators imparted life skills education on sexual and reproductive health to young people, and trained club officials monitored peer educator activities. Over 2,100 males aged 15–24 years received life skills education, and 923 youth received STI services. Each club generated a revolving fund to buy commodities. Nearly 10,000 condoms were sold to youth at the clubs. Findings suggest that comprehensive sexual and reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of youth improved significantly. Condom use increased significantly among sexually active youth.
No publications are listed
Project Stats
Location: Bangladesh (Dhaka and Khulna divisions; 12 districts, 12 upazilas, and 60 youth clubs)
Program(s):
Reproductive Health
Topic(s):
Access to contraceptive methods
Condoms (male and female)
Sexuality education
Duration: 10/2005 - 12/2008
Population Council researchers:
Ubaidur Rob
Non-Council collaborators:
Bangladesh Department of Youth Development
Bangladesh Ministry of Youth and Sports
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