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Forum 5, Geneva 9-12 October 2001 The 10/90 gap in health research: assessing the progress |
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| Parallel session on Preventing risky sexual behaviour among young people: findings from social and behavioural research |
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Understanding the contexts of young people's lives and factors that constrain and facilitate sexual health |
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Roger Ingham, Reader in Health and Community Psychology, Director, Centre for Sexual Health Research, Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK |
The increasing interest in young people's sexual and reproductive health has led to a great deal of research and intervention efforts in many countries. Much of this attention has been driven by a 'deficit' model, in which the focus of the problem is very much on young people themselves; their lack of knowledge, their lack of skills, their 'natural' propensity to take risks, and so on.
This paper will consider some of the barriers to improved sexual health and how they operate at three levels - the individual, the community and the societal. Drawing on recent Dynamic Contextual Analyses conducted in six countries in three continents, the crucial importance of considering the wider contexts will be stressed.
In addition to considering some of the barriers, we will also consider some opportunities to improve matters. It will be suggested that this will require increased willingness to accept the research evidence that has been collected over the past few years, a rather broader research agenda than has hitherto been the case and greater attention being paid to human rights issues.