Abstract

PIP: To guide the development of adolescent reproductive health programs in Kenya, a national IEC survey was conducted with 1476 adolescents 15-19 years of age and 2894 of their parents. The survey was conducted in 1994 by the Johns Hopkins University Population Communication Services, in collaboration with the Kenyan National Council for Population Development and the Central Bureau of Statistics. Both parents and children were most likely to report having discussed school, future careers, and alcohol/drug use during the year preceding the survey; topics least likely to be discussed included boy-girl relationships, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), sexual relations, abortion, contraception, and puberty. Mothers were more likely to discuss reproductive health issues with their children than fathers. Both male and female adolescents indicated they would be most comfortable discussing sexual matters with their same-sex siblings, friends, and health care workers. Over 75% of children and adults were supportive of school-based family life education programs. In many cases, parents lacked correct information about reproductive health issues. Interventions designed to facilitate parent-child communication include a weekly call-in radio program, a comic book that encourages teens to talk to their parents, and a booklet for parents suggesting ways of initiating discussions on sexual issues.