ABSTRACT
Ugandan adolescents lack sufficient reproductive health knowledge, which accounts in part for the staggering rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted (STI) infections in this population. This study aimed to (1) examine Ugandan adolescents' baseline STI and contraceptive knowledge; (2) determine whether this knowledge varies by demographic factors, prior sexual experience or school grade; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program to increase and retain STI and contraceptive knowledge among Ugandan adolescents. This study surveyed 129 adolescents (ages 15-19) regarding knowledge of STIs and contraceptive methods at schools and community non-governmental organizations at three time points. Findings demonstrated that at baseline the mean test scores for contraceptive knowledge and STI knowledge were 44% and 72%, respectively. Participants in higher secondary school grade-levels had greater odds of having prior STI knowledge (OR=19.6, 95% CI 2.0-187.6); participants who had previously engaged in sex had greater odds of having prior contraceptive knowledge (OR=4.62, 95% CI 1.45-14.72). A higher grade level was not associated with better knowledge of contraception; and being sexually active was not associated with better knowledge of STI information. Participants' knowledge of STIs and contraceptives improved after the education session (p<0.001), and knowledge was retained 3-weeks later (p<0.001). Findings suggest that Ugandan adolescents do not have adequate education regarding contraceptive methods and that implementation of reproductive health modules by an outside party can be effective in improving knowledge.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Contraception/psychology , Health Education/methods , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Reproductive Health , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/psychology , Adolescent , Adolescent Behavior/psychology , Adult , Contraception Behavior , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Pilot Projects , Reproductive Health/education , Reproductive Health/statistics & numerical data , Schools , Sexual Behavior , Socioeconomic Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , Uganda , Young AdultABSTRACT
Global health has become an increasingly important focus of education, research, and clinical service in North American universities and academic health centers. Today there are at least 49 academically based global health programs in the United States and Canada, as compared with only one in 1999. A new academic society, the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, was established in 2008 and has grown significantly. This sharp expansion reflects convergence of 3 factors: (1) rapidly growing student and faculty interest in global health; (2) growing realization-powerfully catalyzed by the acquired immune deficiency syndrome epidemic, the emergence of other new infections, climate change, and globalization-that health problems are interconnected, cross national borders, and are global in nature; and (3) rapid expansion in resources for global health. This article examines the evolution of the concept of global health and describes the driving forces that have accelerated interest in the field. It traces the development of global health programs in academic health centers in the United States. It presents a blueprint for a new school-wide global health program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The mission of that program, Mount Sinai Global Health, is to enhance global health as an academic field of study within the Mount Sinai community and to improve the health of people around the world. Mount Sinai Global Health is uniting and building synergies among strong, existing global health programs within Mount Sinai; it is training the next generation of physicians and health scientists to be leaders in global health; it is making novel discoveries that translate into blueprints for improving health worldwide; and it builds on Mount Sinai's long and proud tradition of providing medical and surgical care in places where need is great and resources few.
