Adolescents/Youth | Digital/Mobile | Misinformation/Infodemic | Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Karam 1 - English, Español, Français, عربي interpretation Panel Presentation
Dec 05, 2022 04:00 PM - 05:15 PM(Africa/Casablanca)
20221205T1600 20221205T1715 Africa/Casablanca Expanding the Role of Youth in Their Own Healthcare Karam 1 - English, Español, Français, عربي interpretation International Social and Behavior Change Communication Summit info@sbccsummit.org
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Can Digital SBC Break the Stubborn Taboo of Menstruation for the Next Generation?
Oral Presentation 04:00 PM - 05:15 PM (Africa/Casablanca) 2022/12/05 15:00:00 UTC - 2022/12/05 16:15:00 UTC
Do you think we can ever break this outdated yet suborn taboo of menstruation? Girls all over the world have had enough. Stigma, secrecy, misinformation, and harmful practices shape their lives and wellbeing when being on their periods. Girls want to change that by using the power of digital SBC to deliver girl-centered, evidence-based menstruation education and period tracking to anyone who can access a mobile phone. To demonstrate this, girls co-created a unique, open source app 'Oky' with UNICEF and local partners that meets their realities, and transforms shame into empowerment. With the prototype designed and released in Indonesia and Mongolia, the Oky app is now scaling across the globe. Mexico and India teams have already deployed a localized Oky version, 10 more countries plan to launch in 2022. An ecosystem of partners from all sectors of society are joining together in the efforts to bring Oky to millions of girls; to iterate and scale this girl-led SBC digital tool to break the taboo and end discriminatory practices. With girls in the driver seat, the sky is the limit for build-out and impact. For Girls. By Girls. Period.
Presenters Gerda Binder
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Youth Engagement in the Rollout of Digital Health Information Systems: Achievements and Lessons from the Field
Oral PresentationPractice-oriented proposals 04:00 PM - 05:15 PM (Africa/Casablanca) 2022/12/05 15:00:00 UTC - 2022/12/05 16:15:00 UTC
Background: Strong healthcare system requires the establishment of a robust health information system (HIS). In Ethiopia, the support provided to health institutions on Information Communication Technology (ICT) is inadequate due to lack of well trained and skilled human resources. Approaches:  Digital Health Activity (DHA) is a five-year USAID-funded project that supports the health sector to build a sustainable HIS in Ethiopia through digitalization, data use, and governance. The project has engaged youth in digital health interventions through the provision of internship opportunities, training on digital tools, training on leadership and management, and provision of seed money to establish enterprises that can provide support services to health facilities using digital technologies. Results: The project provided internship training to 155 fresh Technology graduates of which 90.3% of them revived an additional training on Entrepreneurship & Business Engagement.  These trainees formed 13 youth enterprises with the support of DHA. The youth enterprises provided support for more than 650 health institutions on digital tool development and maintenance, deployment of tools, local area network installation, and point care application. Lessons learned: Effective and meaningful engagement of the youth in digital health interventions ensure the sustainability of HIS in the healthcare system.
Presenters
WZ
Woinshet Zeleke
JSI/Digital Health Activity
YN
Yidnekachew Negede
JSI/Digital Health Activity
Co-authors
RY
Rahel Yitbarek
JSI/Digital Health Activity
BA
Biruhtesfa Asaye
JSI/Digital Health Activity
LB
Loko Bongassie
JSI/Digital Health Activity
NN
Netsanet Nigussie
JSI/Digital Health Activity
HW
Herman Willems
JSI/Digital Health Activity
TB
Tariku Bogale
JSI/Digital Health Activity
Speaking the unspoken – how the right open conversations are flipping social norms in SRH
Oral Presentation 04:00 PM - 05:15 PM (Africa/Casablanca) 2022/12/05 15:00:00 UTC - 2022/12/05 16:15:00 UTC
Myths and misinformation about contraception, which inform and reinforce negative norms, remain the key barrier to AGYW's uptake and sustained use of modern contraception. In Kenya, low use of contraception leads to high rates of teenage pregnancies, which has long been the subject of concerns of the international development community and is expected to worsen due to COVID-19. Many current SBC interventions focus on individual demographic and socio-graphic characteristics of AGYW as the predictors of the use of contraception and risk of unintended pregnancies, thus, overlooking the influence of social/peer networks in informing or misinforming AGYW about the impact of contraception on their health and wellbeing, and reinforcing specific SRH norms and behaviors.
In this study, we further explore the power of peer networks and associated norms to positively influence AGYW sentiment, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to contraception, encourage resistance to negative social norms, stimulate the search for accurate information from medical professionals, and encourage conversations between AGYW and their sexual partners that lead to consistent use of dual methods of modern contraception in all or most sexual encounters. Analyzing nationally representative data on Kenyan female youth collected from five cross sectional annual surveys from 2017-2021, we estimate the magnitude of peer effects on measures of positive and negative sentiment towards contraceptive users and on contraceptive use itself, finding that peers can both directly and indirectly influence contraceptive outcomes.
This study offers important, actionable insights for designing and implementing effective SRH interventions with AGYW in Kenya and elsewhere.
Presenters Rob Burnet
Shujaaz Inc
Co-authors
AM
Anastasia Mirzoyants
Shujaaz Inc
Changing the Script: Intergenerational Communication About Sexual and Reproductive Health in Niger and Côte d’Ivoire
Oral Presentation 04:00 PM - 05:15 PM (Africa/Casablanca) 2022/12/05 15:00:00 UTC - 2022/12/05 16:15:00 UTC
Most strategies to reduce adolescent pregnancies have been designed to educate adolescents directly about aspects of sexual risk taking and benefits of family planning (FP), while adolescents often cite peers and parents as their primary sources of sexual health information. Yet parents' lack of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health (SRH), low self-efficacy to initiate conversations, and adverse social norms act as barriers to open intergenerational communication. To help fill the evidence gap about facilitating intergenerational communication in Francophone West Africa, results from a Breakthrough RESEARCH multi-stage qualitative study in Niger and Côte d'Ivoire are presented. During Stage 1, the research team developed a screening tool (based on a literature review) to categorize research participants into those who practiced open intergenerational communication about FP/RH, and those who did not. Stage 2 consisted of 80 in-depth interviews with young people (ages 15-24) and adults (≥25 years old), stratified by quality of intergenerational communication. Results showed a narrow interpretation of SRH and differing views between the two countries as to who should broach these subjects with adolescents and youth. Among adults in both countries, fear is the dominant sentiment underlying communication about SRH with youth and adolescents. Implications for the field include demystifying and destigmatizing SRH topics, increasing adults' communication skills, changing the "script" to a more life-affirming view of SRH, and adopting gender-transformative approaches that encourage shared rights and responsibilities among adolescents and youth.
Presenters
MS
Martha Silva
Tulane University / Population Council
Co-authors
SK
Sethson Kassegne
CERA Group
RE
Rebecca Ezouatchi
CERA GROUP
RY
Robert-Hugues Yaovi Nagbe
LB
Lorimpo Babogou
LD
Leanne Dougherty
Population Council
,
Tulane University / Population Council
Shujaaz Inc
Ministère de la Santé Maroc
,
JSI/Digital Health Activity
JSI/Digital Health Activity
+ 1 more speakers. View All
 Gael O'Sullivan
,
Kantar Public
UNICEF Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Regional Office
Mr. Mitiku Telilla
,
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
 Hameed Kashan
UNICEF NYHQ
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