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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Sanjana Ajey Bhardwaj, DR, HEALTH BEHAVIOR; SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, BIRMINGHAM, 1714,13th court south, birmingham, AL 35205, 205 933 6486, sanjanabhardwaj@rediffmail.com, Snigdha Mukherjee, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd. Ryals 227, Birmingham, AL 35205, thelma sequeira, dr, medical officer, schools, brihanmumbai municipal corporation, mumbai, india, g/north municipal ward office, dadar west, mumbai, 400028, India, prakash m gurnani, dr, program officer, health and nutrition, unicef, mumbai, india, andheri, mumbai, India, sibylle Kristensen, ms, co director, fogarty international, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, BIRMINGHAM, bevill buiding, 19th street, birmingham, AL 35205, shantha sankaranarayanan, dr, joint director, training and surveillance, mdacs, mumbai districts AIDS control society, r. kidwai marg, wadala, mumbai, 400031, India, and sten vermund, dr, director, fogarty international, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, BIRMINGHAM, bevill buiding, 19th street, birmingham, AL 35205.
A series of 20 focus group discussions were conducted with male and female ninth graders as part of a pilot adolescent risk behavior assessment in Mumbai, India, 2001. To capture the diversity of the schools, eighteen were day schools and two in night schools. 120 students took part in the discussions (13-16 years old). The purpose was to (1) to validate the measures in the adolescent risk assessment conducted for the first time in Mumbai and (2) to understand the cultural and normative context of the adolescent peer groups. Questions tapped at the pre-occupations of adolescents, the participants perceptions of the risk behaviors of their peers and relationship with peers, parents, teachers. Some themes that emerged were peer pressure for dating, plans to date and perhaps become sexually active in 11th grade when students go to Junior college after finishing school, existence of identified groups in schools with multiple risk behaviors including carrying knives to school, some substance abuse and poor academic performance. Media is very influential. Participants in night schools where students tend to work in menial daytime jobs tend to have greater awareness of the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS. The focus group discussions were very informative and helped in giving an insight into the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of peer adolescents. The findings will help in (a) developing a culturally sensitive risk assessment tool; (b) refining school-based interventions; and (c) formulating a research design for evaluating school-based programs that takes into account the diversity of the schools in Mumbai, India.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Behavioral Research
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.