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. 2014;9(5):555-69.
doi: 10.1080/17441692.2014.908230. Epub 2014 May 13.

Investing in very young adolescents' sexual and reproductive health

Susan M Igras  1 , Marjorie Macieira, Elaine Murphy, Rebecka Lundgren
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Investing in very young adolescents' sexual and reproductive health

Susan M Igras et al. Glob Public Health. 2014.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Very young adolescents (VYAs) between the ages of 10 and 14 represent about half of the 1.2 billion adolescents aged 10-19 in the world today. In lower- and middle-income countries, where most unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, maternal deaths and sexually transmitted infections occur, investment in positive youth development to promote sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is increasing. Most interventions, though, focus on older adolescents, overlooking VYAs. Since early adolescence marks a critical transition between childhood and older adolescence and adulthood, setting the stage for future SRH and gendered attitudes and behaviours, targeted investment in VYAs is imperative to lay foundations for healthy future relationships and positive SRH. This article advocates for such investments and identifies roles that policy-makers, donors, programme designers and researchers and evaluators can play to address the disparity.

Keywords: adolescence; gender; puberty; reproductive health; very young adolescents.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
An ecological framework for adolescent health (Blum et al., 2012).
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