The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49638

Dale Huntington, ScD¹, Mary Philip Sebastian, PhD¹, Barbara Mensch, PhD, and Clark Wesley³. (1) Frontiers in Reproductive Health, Population Council, 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 280, Washington, DC 20008, 202-237-9400, dhuntington@pcindia.org, (2) Population Council, Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY NY10017

This presentation will discuss the ongoing program being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, India with adolescent girls. Vocational training and savings was introduced in the experimental group, and in the comparison group only reproductive health package. In the experimental group, vocational training and savings in post offices were introduced to adolescent girls after they participated in Reproductive Health (RH) education. Reproductive health education in adolescent groups not only gives RH knowledge but also acts as a safe meeting place for girls. The findings indicate that girls are finding it more and more easy to get permission to leave the slum to attend vocational training and there is encouragement from the family to find employment. All the girls are keen to have their own savings account. Some of the girls who have excelled in the skill they received training in, are getting orders from the slum itself. Though initially there was resistance from parents about girls attending reproductive health sessions, once vocational training started in the slums there was noticeable change in their outlook. More and more girls have approached us and formed groups to gain reproductive health knowledge and vocational training. This highlights the impact of livelihoods in reaching reproductive health messages to adolescent girls. Not only the adolescents, women from the slums with gynaecological problems are able to identify that they have a problem requiring medical attention and have approached the staff for going to hospital. Thus the penetration of reproductive health knowledge and seeking health services were good.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this session participants will be able to

(
• explain the importance of introducing livelihoods and/or savings to adolescents, (
• describe the role played by livelihoods and savings in groups formed for reproductive health education, (
• recognize the feasibility of livelihoods for retaining and using reproductive health knowledge and availing reproductive health services.

Keywords: Reproductive Health,

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.