Nyakato Viola N, Achen Charlotte, Chambers Destinie, Kaziga Ruth, Ogunnaya Zina, Wright Maya, Kools Susan
Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mbarara, Uganda.
Novant Forsyth Medical Center on Labor and Delivery, North Carolina.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2021 Apr;25(2):50-64. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2021/v25i2.5.
Very young adolescents (VYAs) are at the beginning of major physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes that will set the course for a lifetime of health risks or resilience and yet, they have been largely an invisible group in global health research. The study explored perceptions of VYAs of the context for adolescence in rural Uganda and how these perceptions relate to sexual and reproductive health. Twenty VYAs, aged 11-14 from a southwest province in Uganda participated; 10 girls and 10 boys. All were of low socioeconomic status and attending school. With Institutional Review Board approval, a community-based participatory design was used with community advisory board (CAB) guidance. Community mapping and photovoice were data collection strategies as deemed developmentally appropriate for this age group. VYAs narrated their maps and photographs in focus groups. Field notes were taken on observations of adolescent life in the villages. The CAB assisted in the interpretation of data. Focus group interview transcripts and field notes were thematically analyzed and triangulated with observational field notes to verify and amplify findings. VYAs dichotomized people and places that offered support and protection or exposure to risk and vulnerability. Cultural norms (gendered expectations for roles and responsibilities, the primacy of work), the influences of significant others (peers, family, other important adults) and places in their environment that represented either safe havens or danger zones comprised the major themes. VYA perceptions of their context and experiences will contribute to design of developmentally appropriate and community tailored interventions to promote their health.
非常年轻的青少年（VYAs）正处于重大身体、认知、情感和社会变化的开端，这些变化将决定他们一生的健康风险或恢复力状况，然而，在全球健康研究中，他们在很大程度上一直是一个被忽视的群体。该研究探讨了乌干达农村地区VYAs对青少年成长环境的看法，以及这些看法与性健康和生殖健康的关系。来自乌干达一个西南部省份的20名11 - 14岁的VYAs参与了研究，其中10名女孩和10名男孩。他们均为社会经济地位较低且正在上学的学生。经机构审查委员会批准，采用了基于社区的参与式设计，并在社区咨询委员会（CAB）的指导下进行。社区绘图和照片声音法被用作数据收集策略，因为这些方法被认为在发展上适合这个年龄组。VYAs在焦点小组中讲述他们的地图和照片。对村庄中青少年生活的观察做了实地记录。CAB协助对数据进行解读。对焦点小组访谈记录和实地记录进行了主题分析，并与实地观察记录进行三角互证，以核实和扩充研究结果。VYAs将提供支持和保护或带来风险和脆弱性的人和场所进行了二分。文化规范（对角色和责任的性别化期望、工作的首要地位）、重要他人（同龄人、家庭、其他重要成年人）的影响以及他们环境中代表安全避风港或危险区域的场所构成了主要主题。VYAs对其成长环境和经历的看法将有助于设计适合其发展阶段且符合社区需求的干预措施，以促进他们的健康。
