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Pike C, Coakley C, Lee D, Daniels D, Ahmed N, Hartmann M, Padian N, Bekker LG. Lessons Learned From the Implementation of a School-Based Sexual Health Education Program for Adolescent Girls in Cape Town, South Africa. GLOBAL HEALTH, SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2023; 11:e2300026. [PMID: 38124019 PMCID: PMC10749656 DOI: 10.9745/ghsp-d-23-00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Comprehensive sexual education (CSE) is an important approach for health promotion dissemination in schools, particularly when delivered in participatory ways that are sport based, peer or near-peer led, and include concepts of gender and power dynamics. Sufficient attendance at CSE sessions is critical to ensure content exposure and build potential for impact. This article details implementation lessons from the delivery of an after-school, near-peer-led CSE program called SKILLZ during a cluster randomized controlled trial among 40 secondary schools in Cape Town, South Africa. SKILLZ is an evidence-based program previously implemented in similar contexts. Attendance in this study was suboptimal (less than 50%) despite qualitative indications of high acceptability and extensive efforts to adapt implementation and boost attendance. Qualitative and quantitative data gathered during anonymous surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions with participants with high and low attendance records, near-peer coaches, and school staff from both cohorts indicated that poor attendance could be attributed to several factors. Program adaptations, such as delivering difficult-to-access health services before participants attended the SKILLZ program rather than after, may have reduced the incentive for young people to attend the program. Practical barriers to attendance were identified, including security concerns, competing priorities, and unfamiliarity with after-school programming culture in this setting. Community engagement and acceptability of sexual education programs for adolescents alone may be insufficient to ensure program uptake and engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carey Pike
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine, Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Chelsea Coakley
- Independent Research Consultant, Adolescent Health and Development, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Devyn Lee
- Grassroot Soccer, Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Derek Daniels
- Grassroot Soccer, Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nadia Ahmed
- Mortimer Market Centre, Central North West London NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Miriam Hartmann
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine, Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Karolinska Institutet, Department of Global Public Health, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nancy Padian
- Grassroot Soccer, Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Linda-Gail Bekker
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine, Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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