Adaptation of an effective school-based sexual health promotion program for youth in Colombia

Rationale: Given the disproportionate impact of HIV and STIs among youth in Latin America, there is a compelling need for effective sex education programs. In particular, Colombia lacks a nationally standardized youth sex education program, despite the fact that 15 to 24-year-olds accounted for the...

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Autores:
Morales, Alexandra
Garcia Montaño, Eileen Andrea
Barrios Ortega, Cristian Eduardo
Niebles Charris, Janivys Andrea
Garcia Roncallo, Paola Andrea
Abello Luque, Daniella
Gomez Lugo, Mayra
Saavedra, Diego Alejandro
Vallejo Medina, Pablo
Espada, José Pedro
Lightfoot, Marguerita
Martínez, Omar
Tipo de recurso:
Article of journal
Fecha de publicación:
2019
Institución:
Corporación Universidad de la Costa
Repositorio:
REDICUC - Repositorio CUC
Idioma:
eng
OAI Identifier:
oai:repositorio.cuc.edu.co:11323/1995
Acceso en línea:
https://hdl.handle.net/11323/1995
https://repositorio.cuc.edu.co/
Palabra clave:
Sexual health
Adolescents
Intervention
Adaptation
COMPAS
Colombia
Rights
openAccess
License
Atribución – No comercial – Compartir igual
Description
Summary:Rationale: Given the disproportionate impact of HIV and STIs among youth in Latin America, there is a compelling need for effective sex education programs. In particular, Colombia lacks a nationally standardized youth sex education program, despite the fact that 15 to 24-year-olds accounted for the highest incidence and prevalence rates of HIV and STIs in the nation. In an attempt to fill this void, our team adapted COMPAS, a Spanish school-based sexual health promotion intervention, for Colombian adolescents. Objective: This study describes the adaptation process that resulted in a modified version of COMPAS for youth in Colombia. Method: We employed a systematic cultural adaptation process utilizing a mixed methods approach, including intervention adaptation sessions with 100 young adolescents aged 15–19. The process included six steps: 1) consulting international researchers and community stakeholders; 2) capturing the lived experiences of a diverse sample of colombian youth; 3) identifying priorities and areas in need of improvement; 4) integrating the social cognitive theory, information-motivation-behavioral skills model, and an ecological framework for colombian youth; 5) adapting intervention content, activities, and materials; and 6) quantitative evaluation of COMPAS by Colombian youth. Results: The adapted intervention incorporates elements common to effective youth sex education interventions, including: a solid theoretical foundation, sexual communication skills and social support for protection, and guidance on how to utilize available cultural- and linguistic-appropriate services. In addition, the adapted intervention incorporates cultural and linguistic appropriate content, including an emphasis on tackling machismo to promote risk reduction behaviors. Conclusions: The systematic adaptation approach to sexual health intervention for youth can be employed by researchers and community stakeholders in low-resource settings for the promotion of health wellness, linkage to care, and STI and unplanned pregnancy prevention for youth.