Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Uganda: a synthesis of research evidence.

Abstract

Despite recent successes the AIDS epidemic in Uganda still poses a serious threat to the future of the country’s youth. Females remain at higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS during adolescence because of the social and cultural factors that lead many to experience early initiation of sexual activity. While youth in Uganda constitute nearly 50% of the total number of those infected the vast majority of those cases are female— the male-to-female ratio of HIV infection is 1:4 for teenagers compared to 1:1 for adults. This report provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues in Uganda with a focus on HIV prevention. It draws upon the existing body of social science research and includes both quantitative and qualitative studies. Its goal is to communicate key findings from existing research to a wide audience concerned with sexual and reproductive health in Uganda. The specific objectives are: to synthesize key findings from previous studies on adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Uganda; to identify information gaps in order to inform the development of future research in this area; and to highlight priority areas for programs and policies aimed at improving the sexual and reproductive health of youth. (excerpt)