268832 Young migrants' social/family support and their health in Shanghai, China (WAVE)

Monday, October 29, 2012

Chaohua Lou, PhD , Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China
Chunyan Yu, MD , Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China
Yan Cheng, PhD , Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shaghai, China
Ziliang Wang, MD , Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China
Qiguo Lian, MD , Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China
Ershang Gao, MD, MPH , Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China
The Well-being of Adolescents in Vulnerable Environments is a six-city global study of young people in vulnerable environments with the goal of discovering ways to connect youth to health. The six study sites are the East Baltimore neighborhood of Baltimore, Md.; Johannesburg, South Africa; Shanghai, China; Delhi, India; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Ibadan, Nigeria. For the first phase of this study, researchers in each site used four different qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, photovoice, community mapping, and focus groups, to collect data from 15 – 19 year olds and the adults who work with young people on how young people view their communities including the health issues they see as well as the services and opportunities that exist in their communities. While the sites are located in very different environments, the similarities among the concerns young people have for their communities are striking.

In Shanghai, many of the young people in our study were young migrants. They spoke of their community concerns in terms of the physical ascpects of their community. They believed health concerns weren't as pressing as the pressure to work hard, the high cost of living and the lack of opportunities. Mental health was the most common health concern and premarital sex and unintended pregnancy were cited as common. Participants cite lack of family support am impacting health concerns.

The research points to importance of understanding community level structural and social characteristics in relation to the primary health risks faced by youth in vulnerable environments.

Learning Areas:
Other professions or practice related to public health
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
1. To describe the relationship between young people’s perceptions of their community and health; 2. To compare the perceptions of health and community among youth living in vulnerable environments across four global sites; 3. To suggest policy and programmatic implications of the findings of this study

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple projects examining the health and well being of young people in China, particularlry their reproductive health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.