ERIC Number: EJ1345200
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1468-1811
EISSN: EISSN-1472-0825
Available Date: N/A
Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Learning among Indigenous Youth of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama
Gabster, Amanda; Cislaghi, Beniamino; Pascale, Juan Miguel; Francis, Suzanna C.; Socha, Eliana; Mayaud, Philippe
Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning, v22 n3 p260-274 2022
Indigenous adolescents and young people in Panama are at high-risk for sexually transmitted infections, due in part to limited access to condoms and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education. There is a paucity of evidence on how to develop sexual and reproductive health education programmes that incorporate different sources of learning. We used Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory to understand two key sources of learning: noncaregivers (school or healthcare personnel) and caregivers (parents/grandparents/stepparents). Better understanding about sexual and reproductive health learning sources could provide a foundation for the development of targeted, culturally congruent interventions. This study included ethnographic observation in two Indigenous communities in Panama, followed by semi-structured interviews with young people and caregivers. Findings suggest non-caregiver sexual and reproductive health education was commonly provided by teachers, and increasingly through the Internet. Caregivers focused on topics of abstinence/delaying sexual debut, pregnancy, and STIs/HIV; condoms pregnancy, and STIs/HIV. Condoms and condom use were not mentioned. Traditional sexual and reproductive health teaching by same-gender caregivers took place through the rituals of mokän (girls at menarche) and grön (boys 13-14 years). To develop culturally congruent interventions, we suggest programmes to improve sexual and reproductive health knowledge and access to condoms, which respect and build on social and traditional learning spaces.
Descriptors: Sexuality, Sex Education, American Indians, Culturally Relevant Education, Health Education, Intervention, Ethnography, Pregnancy, Foreign Countries, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Contraception, Physiology, Parent Child Relationship, Adolescents, Young Adults, Indigenous Knowledge, Prevention, Information Sources, Beliefs
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Panama
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A