Children's physical activity and sedentary behaviour in before school care: An observational study.

OBJECTIVE: In Australia, less than one quarter of children aged 5-12 years meet national physical activity (PA) guidelines. Before school care operates as part of Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) services and provide opportunities for children to meet their daily PA recommendations. The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with children meeting 15 min of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) while attending before school care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 25 services in New South Wales, Australia. Each service was visited twice between March and June 2021. Staff behaviours and PA type and context were captured using staff interviews and the validated System for Observing Staff Promotion of Physical Activity and Nutrition (SOSPAN) time sampling tool. Child PA data were collected using Actigraph accelerometers and associations between program practices and child MVPA analysed. RESULTS: PA data were analysed for 654 children who spent an average of 39.2% (±17.6) of their time sedentary; 45.4% (±11.4) in light PA; and 14.9% (±11.7) in MVPA. Only 17% of children (n = 112) reached ≥15 min MVPA, with boys more likely to achieve this. Children were more likely to meet this recommendation in services where staff promoted and engaged in PA; PA equipment was available; children were observed in child-led free play; and a written PA policy existed. CONCLUSIONS: Before school care should be supported to improve physical activity promotion practices by offering staff professional development and guidance on PA policy development and implementation practices.

Risky sexual behavior and associated factors among out-of-school youths in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; mixed methods study.

INTRODUCTION: Sexual risky behaviors, as defined by the World Health Organization, encompass a spectrum of sexual activities that heighten the likelihood of negative outcomes related to sexual and reproductive health. Despite the implementation of various healthcare programs and interventions, youths continue to encounter challenges in accessing reproductive health services. Consequently, they remain vulnerable to engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors; 50.36% of adolescents in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the prevalence of risky sexual behavior and associated factors among out-of-school Youths in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 2023. METHODS: A community based cross sectional mixed methods study was conducted among 701 youths in Addis Ababa from September 1st to 30th, 2023. The quantitative data were collected through face to face interview using a pre-tested structured questionnaire, while qualitative data were gathered through in depth interviews and focus group discussions. For the quantitative study, the study samples were chosen using systematic sampling. Conversely, purposive sampling was employed for the qualitative study. Variables with P-value ≤ 0.25 in the bivariate analysis were considered as candidates for the multivariable analysis. Statistical significance was declared at a P-value less than 0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of risky sexual behavior among out of school students in Addis Ababa was 40.6% (95%CI: 36.8, 44.1). Age 15-19 years (AOR: 2.52; 95%CI: 1.61, 3.94), being female (AOR: 2.84; 95%CI: 1.93, 4.18), fathers who were unable to read and write (AOR: 4.13; 95%CI: 2.04, 8.37), alcohol consumption (AOR: 2.07; 95%CI: 1.33, 3.19), peer pressure (AOR: 2.59; 95%CI: 1.81, 3.72), live together with either of biological parent (AOR: 2.32; 95%CI: 1.52, 3.55), watching pornography (AOR: 2.10; 95%CI: 1.11, 3.97) and parental monitoring (AOR: 0.59; 95%CI: 0.39, 0.90) were factors associated with risky sexual behavior. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: A lower prevalence of risky sexual behavior compared to prior research efforts. Age, gender, educational level of the husband, alcohol consumption, peer pressure, living arrangements, exposure to pornography, and family monitoring emerged as significant factors associated with risky sexual behavior. Therefore, government should prioritize strategies to reduce substance use, mitigate the impact of watching pornography, and enhance parent-youth connectedness.

Out-of-school time use in Pakistan: A qualitative study featuring youth's voices.

The current study addresses the lack of out-of-school time (OST) research in low- and middle-income countries by exploring OST use in the context of Pakistan and incorporating youth's voices. Using a qualitative descriptive design with focus-group discussions, we conducted a study in three middle schools set in low- to middle-income neighborhoods in urban and rural areas of Karachi, Pakistan. We engaged 86 youth (50% girls; aged 10-15 years) that were purposefully selected from grade six (31.4%), seven (44.2%) and eight (24.4%) classrooms, balancing gender and locality. In each focus group, we asked participants to describe their afterschool activity routine on a typical weekday afternoon until bedtime. Digital recordings of discussions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Based on sixteen focus groups with five to six participants in each group, we identified eight distinct categories: religious activities, schoolwork, screentime, helping adult family members, family time, outdoor play, indoor leisure activities, and hanging out with friends. We found that structured activities (e.g., religious activities and schoolwork supervised by an adult) were reported more frequently than unstructured activities (e.g., outdoor play and family time). Participation in activities varied by gender and location (i.e., urban vs. rural), highlighting disparities associated with the sociocultural context that marginalized youth face. Our findings provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of Pakistani youth outside of school. Additionally, they elucidate how economic resources, sociocultural norms regarding gender, and community safety shape youth's time use and socialization patterns. Findings from this study can inform the development of OST activities and initiatives aimed at promoting the positive development of Pakistani youth.

Increases in resilience and school performance among elementary school-aged afterschool participants.

Elementary-school students enrolled in a trauma-informed program participated in a prepost longitudinal study of resilience. The study assesses increases in various components of resilience, the effects of the afterschool program on resilience, and the relationship between resilience and school performance. A shortened version of a reliable resilience survey was developed from Madsen Thompson's Trauma Resilience Scale and administered at students' entry and exit from 3 yearly sessions. The high response rate provided a sample of 103 students, 37 of whom were new students with no ceiling effects. Statistical analysis demonstrated that both contextual and individual resilience increased significantly, with protective components impacting one another. Regression analyses found that the afterschool program supports significantly affected individual resilience increases, and high levels of individual resilience led to increases in school performance. The results suggest that trauma-informed contextual supports may be useful in increasing young students' well-being and closing gaps in academic performance.

Engagement in Sedentary and Physically Active After-School Programs Among African American Children with ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders.

CONTEXT: Sport and physical activity (PA) programs are an important developmental resource for youth with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Disruptive Behavior Disorders. The purpose of this study is to assess sport participation rates, PA participation, and after-school supervision rates among African American children with ADHD and/or Disruptive Behavior Disorders. DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, parents of African American children with elevated symptoms of ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and/or conduct disorder (N = 175, 6- to 12-y-old, 31% female) reported after-school program participation over the past year. METHODS: Logistic regression analyses tested relationships between ADHD symptoms, oppositional defiant disorder symptoms, and conduct disorder symptoms, likelihood of regular participation (≥2 d/wk) in sport, PA, and sedentary after-school programs, and likelihood of being supervised and unsupervised after school. All regressions controlled for age, sex, income, and medication status. Sample participation rates were descriptively compared with participation rates of same-aged peers regionally, and nationally, reported in 3 national surveys. RESULTS: Parents in the local sample reported higher rates of sedentary after-school program participation (54%) but lower rates of PA program participation (31%), and sport participation (12%) compared with same-aged peers. The local sample was less likely to be unsupervised after-school compared with same-aged peers with only 27% of parents reporting that their child was unsupervised ≥ 2 days per week. Children endorsing oppositional defiant disorder (odds ratio = 2.05; P < .05) and conduct disorder (odds ratio = 5.74; P < .05) were more likely to be unsupervised more frequently after-school as compared with those not meeting endorsement. CONCLUSIONS: Given demonstrated benefits of youth sport programming and observed inequities in participation, there is a need to develop support models that connect parents, coaches, and social services agencies to facilitate inclusion. Sports medicine professionals are uniquely positioned to contribute to these efforts, as they are often key opinion leaders in both the youth sport and health care contexts.

Positive and negative intergroup contact in school and out-of-school contexts: A longitudinal approach to spillover effects.

This study aims to tackle positive and negative intergroup contact in school and out-of-school contexts to test whether a spillover effect (i.e., the extent to which experiences that individuals have in one context spill over into another) applies to intergroup contact. Participants were 984 adolescents (Mage = 14.66; 62.7% female; 24.8% ethnic minority). Results indicated that positive contact in school was related over time to higher positive contact in out-of-school contexts and vice versa (i.e., valence consistent spillover effect). Positive contact in school was linked over time to lower negative contact in out-of-school contexts (i.e., valence inconsistent spillover effect). Overall, this study provides novel insights into the transmission of adolescents' intergroup contact across socialization contexts by emphasizing the leading role of positive contact in schools.

Participation and enjoyment in Out-of-School activities during adolescence as predictors of activities in adulthood.

This study examined associations between adolescents' participation in out-of-school activities and their participation in activities at age 26 (N = 1041, 50% girls, 77% White). More frequent adolescent participation in sports, arts, volunteer/community service, and religious activities increased the odds of participating in the same type of activity at age 26. Adolescents' enjoyment of activities partially explained the developmental continuity in activity participation. There was limited evidence that individuals' participation across different types of activities was associated. Finally, the diversity or breadth of adolescents' activity participation was associated with larger activity breadth at age 26. These findings suggest that adolescents' out-of-school activities help set the stage for participating in similar, but not different activities during young adulthood.

The Impact of Restorative Practices on the Use of Out-of-School Suspensions: Results from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

The overuse of exclusionary discipline practices, such as out-of-school suspensions (OSS), has consistently been documented over several decades. The resulting racial discipline disparities and the negative outcomes related to OSS have led policy makers and educators to consider other approaches to school discipline. One such approach, which has gained increasing use in the USA, is restorative practices (RP). However, despite its popularity, the experimental evidence base of the effects of RP and suspensions is extremely limited. To add to this knowledge base, we present findings from a cluster randomized controlled trial with 18 K-12 schools in an urban district in the US Northeast with 5878 students. Multilevel regression results, after 1 year of the intervention, showed no differences in the likelihood of suspension between students in the intervention and control schools and that the effects of the intervention did not vary by race/ethnicity, gender, or student disability status. However, for students in the intervention group, we show reductions in the likelihood of receiving an OSS for students who had previously been suspended.

Interacting with supportive adults predicts greater same-day psychosocial functioning among adolescents in a self-driven learning program.

INTRODUCTION: Supportive adults are a critical component of effective out-of-school time (OST) youth programs, yet the short-term dynamics that underlie their role are poorly understood. Within GripTape, a US-wide self-driven learning program, we examined if interactions with program-assigned adults (i.e., Champions) correspond with youths' daily psychosocial functioning (i.e., sense of purpose, self-concept clarity, and self-esteem). METHOD: Participants were 204 North American adolescents (M [SD] = 16.42 [1.18] years; female = 70.1%, male = 25.0%) enrolled in GripTape, a remote OST program that empowers under-resourced teens to pursue their passions for ~10 weeks. During enrollment, youth are given autonomy to structure their learning goals and methods to best match their needs; a stipend of up to 500 USD; and an adult Champion to act as a touchpoint. Data collection consisted of a baseline survey before the program launch and a 5-min survey on each day of enrollment. RESULTS: Across ~70 days, we found that youth reported greater psychosocial functioning on days they reported interacting with their Champion. After controlling for same-day psychosocial functioning, we failed to find evidence that Champion interactions predicted youths' next-day psychosocial functioning. CONCLUSION: In addition to being among the first studies to investigate the daily benefits of youth-adult interactions within OST programming, this study documents the short-term incremental change that may underlie previous work on OST program outcomes.

Longitudinal associations between adolescent out-of-school time and adult substance use.

INTRODUCTION: Based on Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory and Bornstein's specificity principle, the purpose of this study was to examine adolescents' time in out-of-school settings as a precursor of three types of problematic substance use in adulthood (i.e., binge drinking, regular marijuana use, and use of illicit drugs). METHOD: Adolescents (N = 978) reported the time they spent in four common out-of-school settings at ages 15 and 18: unsupervised time with peers, organized sports, other organized activities, and paid employment. At age 26, participants reported binge drinking, marijuana use, and illicit drug use. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents' time in out-of-school settings during high school predicted age 26 substance use over and above family and adolescent factors, including adolescents' substance use during high school. Adolescents' unsupervised time with peers increased the odds and frequency of binge drinking and regular marijuana use at age 26. Time in high school organized sports increased the odds of binge drinking at age 26, but not marijuana or illicit drug use. Time spent in other organized activities, such as community service and the arts, lowered the odds of illicit drug use whereas paid employment in high school was not related to age 26 substance use. Aligned with Bornstein's specificity principle, time spent in specific out-of-school settings during adolescence were differentially related to substance use problems in early adulthood, with some activities serving as a risk factor and other activities serving as a protective factor for young adults.

Out-of-school girls in India: a study of socioeconomic-spatial disparities.

Despite numerous established benefits of girls' education, globally large numbers of girls are out-of-school (OOS). This poses challenges to achieving quality education (SDG 4) and gender equality (SDG 5) by 2030. In India, there are socioeconomic and spatial disparities also. The latest National Sample Survey (2017-18) data provides an opportunity to explore these issues. We used the unit-level data of 117,115 children (5-17 years). Our multivariate logistic regression analysis shows that the likelihood of OOS girls is at least 16% higher than that of boys. The probability declines at every stage of income quintile from 'poorest' to the 'richest'. The likelihood in urban areas is almost 35% lower than the rural areas. Compared to the upper castes the probability is higher for the backward castes. Compared to Hindus, the likelihood is higher among Muslims but lower among Christian and Sikh children. Our three-layer cross-tabulation reveals that poor Scheduled-Tribes girls are the most vulnerable. The spatial plotting shows that the majority of the vulnerable regions belong to a few states viz. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat. Therefore, we argue for localized solutions for girls of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in different regions. The relevance of this study also arises from the fact that there might be a further increase in the number of OOS girls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ANOVA test suggests that there might be a shift of girls from private to government schools also, which calls for strengthening the public education system to prevent the problem from aggravating further.

Correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children attending before and after school care: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) offers structured care to elementary/primary-aged children before and after school, and during school holidays. The promotion of physical activity in OSHC is important for childhood obesity prevention. The aim of this systematic review was to identify correlates of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviour in before and after school care. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in Scopus, ERIC, MEDLINE (EBSCO), PsycINFO and Web of Science databases up to December 2021. Study inclusion criteria were: written in English; from a peer-reviewed journal; data from a centre-based before and/or after school care service; children with a mean age < 13 years; an objective measure of physical activity or sedentary behaviour; reported correlations and significance levels; and if an intervention study design these correlates were reported at baseline. Study quality was assessed using the Office of Health Assessment and Translation Risk of Bias Rating Tool for Human and Animal Studies. The PRISMA guidelines informed the reporting, and data were synthesised according to shared correlations and a social ecological framework. RESULTS: Database searches identified 4559 papers, with 18 cross-sectional studies meeting the inclusion criteria.There were a total of 116 physical activity correlates and 64 sedentary behaviour correlates identified. The most frequently reported correlates of physical activity were child sex (males more active), staff engaging in physical activity, an absence of elimination games, and scheduling physical activity in daily programming (all more positively associated). The most frequently reported correlates of sedentary behaviour were child sex (females more sedentary) and age (older children more sedentary). CONCLUSIONS: Encouraging physical activity engagement of female children, promoting positive staff behaviours, removing elimination elements from games, and scheduling more time for physical activity should be priorities for service providers. Additional research is needed in before school care services.

Foods and beverages provided in out of school hours care services: an observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Out of school hours care (OSHC) is a fast-growing childcare setting in Australia, however the types of foods and beverages offered are relatively unknown. This study describes the food and beverages offered and investigates sector-level and setting-level factors which may impact OSHC in meeting the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG). METHODS: This cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in 89 OSHC services (between 2018 and 2019). Food and beverages offered, kitchen facilities and menus were captured via direct observation. Foods were categorised into five food groups or discretionary foods, based on the ADG, and frequencies determined. Short interviews with OSHC directors ascertained healthy eating policies, staff training, food quality assessment methods and food budgets. Fisher's exact test explored the influence of sector-level and setting-level factors on food provision behaviours. RESULTS: Discretionary foods (1.5 ± 0.68) were offered more frequently than vegetables (0.82 ± 0.80) (p < .001), dairy (0.97 ± 0.81) (p = .013) and lean meats (0.22 ± 0.54) (p < .001). OSHC associated with long day care and reported using valid food quality assessment methods offered more lean meats (p= .002, and p= .004). Larger organisations offered more vegetables (p = .015) and discretionary foods (p= .007). Menus with clearly worded instructions to provide fruits and vegetables daily offered more fruit (p= .009), vegetables (p < .001) and whole grains (p= .003). No other sector or setting-level factors were associated with services aligning with the ADG. CONCLUSION: Future interventions could benefit from trialling menu planning training and tools to assist OSHC services in NSW meet the ADG requirements.

Factors influencing school re-entry among adolescents in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: The number of out-of-school children and adolescents has been increasing globally. In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 23 million adolescents leave school due to poverty, teenage pregnancy, and unspecified illnesses. The reasons for absenteeism are well-known but the factors involved in the decision to return to school have not been analyzed. This study aimed to identify the factors that promote primary school re-entry among chronic adolescent absentees in rural sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Qualitative data were gathered through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions involving nine pupils who returned to school after chronic absenteeism and 140 adult stakeholders in Mbita sub-county, Kenya. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The thematic analysis results showed that four factors promoted school re-entry, namely: (1) social norms: "school for a better life"; (2) linkage of community and school; (3) supportive environment; and (4) using discipline to make adolescents serious about their education. CONCLUSIONS: School re-entry among chronic absentees in Mbita sub-county is promoted by both community and school factors. It was observed that social norms regarded an education as a "passport to a better life." Adolescents, teachers, and community leaders view education as a means of improving one's socio-economic status. Two essential elements of health-promoting schools, a supportive environment and a linkage with community, effectively promoted returning to the school among adolescents. The introduction of health-promoting schools was recommended to implement a school re-entry policy in Kenya effectively.

A case study of support for girls' access to primary school in Ghana.

The Strategic Approach to Girls' Education (STAGE) project developed and implemented an intervention that helped marginalized out-of-school girls in the northern regions of Ghana enter and be successful in primary school. STAGE builds on the Government of Ghana's Complementary Basic Education policy, which supports an accelerated learning program that provides literacy and numeracy classes in mother tongue to out-of-school girls between 8 and 14 years of age. This article reviews the literature that informed the design of STAGE, describes the intervention, reports on the impact on its participants, and suggests a model for replicating this intervention in Ghana and adapting it for implementation in other countries.

Physical activity in out of school hours care: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Opportunities for physical activity within out of school hours care (OSHC) are not well documented in Australia. This study explored factors associated with children (5-12 years) meeting 30 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) while attending OSHC in the afternoon period. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, conducted in 89 OSHC services in New South Wales, Australia, serving 4,408 children. Each service was visited twice between 2018-2019. Physical activity promotion practices were captured via short interviews and System for Observing Staff Promotion of Physical Activity and Nutrition (SOSPAN). Physical activity spaces was measured (m2) and physical activity of 3,614 child days (42% girls), were collected using Acti-Graph accelerometers. Association between program practices and children accumulation of MVPA was tested using mixed effects logistic regression, adjusted by OSHC service and child. RESULTS: Twenty-six percent of children (n = 925) accumulated 30 min or more of MVPA. Factors associated with children reaching MVPA recommendations included: services scheduling greater amounts of child-led free play, both 30-59 min (OR 2.6, 95%CI 1.70, 3.98) and ≥ 60 min (OR 6.4, 95%CI 3.90, 10.49); opportunities for staff-led organised play of ≥ 30 min (OR 2.3, 95%CI 1.47, 3.83); and active games that engaged the majority of children (OR 1.7, 95%CI 1.11, 2.61). Children were less likely to meet MVPA recommendations if services played games with elimination components (OR 0.56, 95%CI 0.37, 0.86). CONCLUSION: Improvements to service-level physical activity promotion practices, specifically the type of physical activity scheduled and the structure of games, may be an effective strategy to increase MVPA of children attending OSHC afterschool in NSW, Australia.

Prioritizing the marginalized in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

A recent correspondence pointed out that indigenous people and other ethnic communities should be included in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Indigenous communities carry a unique set of cultural beliefs and traditions that need to be preserved. This paper suggests that, aside from indigenous people, other marginalized sectors should also be included in the vaccine rollout by the government.

The Comparative Estimation of Primary Students' Programming Outcomes Based on Traditional and Distance Out-of-School Extracurricular Informatics Education in Electronics Courses during the Challenging COVID-19 Period.

The authors decided to investigate the impact of the lockdown period and the resulting limitations in informatics education, especially programming, in out-of-school electronics courses using traditional and distance learning modes in primary school COVID-19 pandemic settings. Two extracurricular courses were held successively; the first electronics course was performed in a traditional out-of-school learning mode using Arduino kits, while the other was held using the TinkerCad circuits virtual environment in distance learning mode. A structured questionnaire was administered to students to map their knowledge of programming. The questionnaire consists of three emotional dimensions: enjoyment, satisfaction and motivation. The fourth dimension was dedicated to the students' programming outcomes. Three emotional dimensions were addressed to primary school students, while the fourth dimension was addressed to the tutors' observations toward the students' programming outcomes. The obtained results revealed that learning modes have no significant impact on students perceiving the programming issues. However, three emotional dimensions revealed a significant difference in the students' enjoyment, satisfaction and motivation in favor of the traditional learning mode. Our findings are of particular interest in light of possible crisis-prompted distance education in the future but can also serve to inform government institutions and policymakers seeking to develop effective concepts for successful distance learning.

Learning in the library: A national study of youth services public library workers.

AIMS: This study aims to interrogate the occupational identity of youth services public library workers across the United States and to understand specifically how this study is related to the learning ecosystem. Public library workers, especially those who work specifically with youth, are underrepresented in academic literature. METHOD: We adapted an interview method that allows participants to explain how they think different stakeholders perceive their work and used it in a digital survey with 306 youth services public library workers. RESULTS: Overall, the participants described their work as deeply connected to learning, specifically connecting people to resources, facilitating learning activities, and providing a space for learning. This reflects the evolving nature of public library services. CONCLUSION: Unfortunately, many library workers feel significant friction between their own understanding of their job and the views of outside stakeholders. We address this friction and its implications in our recommendations for future research and practice.

HIV/AIDS awareness and testing practices among adolescents in eastern Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine HIV/AIDS awareness, HIV testing practices and associated factors among adolescents in two eastern Ethiopian communities. METHODS: Community-based, cross-sectional study among 2010 adolescents aged 10-19 years. Participants were asked about their awareness of HIV/AIDS and HIV testing practices, and whether they had ever been tested for HIV. Regression models were applied to identify the factors of statistical significance at P-value < 0.05. RESULTS: Of 90% were aware of HIV/AIDS, but only a quarter had ever been tested for HIV. Rural adolescents were less aware of HIV than urban adolescents (AOR = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.58), and in-school adolescents had more knowledge about HIV/AIDS than that out-of-school adolescents (AOR = 2.79; 95% CI: 1.88, 4.15). Factors associated with lower uptake of HIV testing were male sex (AOR = 0.74; 95% CI; 0.58, 0.91) and being from a rural area (AOR = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.36). Factors associated with higher uptake of HIV testing were being in school (AOR = 1.66; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.38), using the Internet (AOR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.28), and ever visiting a health facility (AOR = 1.54; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.96). CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of HIV/AIDS was high, whereas HIV testing was rare. HIV awareness programs for adolescents should target rural and out-of-school adolescents. Programmes to increase HIV testing implemented in these and similar communities should focus on male and rural adolescents.

OBJECTIF: Examiner la sensibilisation au VIH/SIDA, les pratiques de dépistage du VIH et les facteurs associés chez les adolescents de deux communautés dans l'est de l'Ethiopie. MÉTHODES: Etude transversale, à base communautaire auprès de 2.010 adolescents âgés de 10 à 19 ans. Les participants ont été interrogés sur leurs connaissances sur le VIH/SIDA et sur les pratiques de dépistage du VIH, et s'ils avaient déjà subi un test de dépistage du VIH. Des modèles de régression ont été appliqués pour identifier les facteurs ayant une signification statistique à une valeur P < 0,05. RÉSULTATS: 90% des participants étaient au courant du VIH/SIDA, mais seulement un quart avait déjà subi un test de dépistage du VIH. Les adolescents ruraux étaient moins au courant du VIH que les adolescents urbains (AOR = 0,16; IC95%: 0,05-0,58), et les adolescents scolarisés avaient plus de connaissances sur le VIH/SIDA que les adolescents non scolarisés (AOR = 2,79; IC95%: 1,88-4,15). Les facteurs associés à une moindre adoption du test de dépistage du VIH étaient le sexe masculin (AOR = 0,74; IC95%: 0,58-0,91) et provenir d'une zone rurale (AOR = 0,16; IC95%: 0,07-0,36). Les facteurs associés à une plus grande adoption du test de dépistage du VIH étaient le fait d'être scolarisé (AOR = 1,66; IC95%: 1,16-2,38), l'utilisation d'Internet (AOR = 1,52; IC95%: 1,01, 2,28) et avoir déjà visité un établissement de santé (AOR = 1,54; IC95%: 1,21-1,96). CONCLUSIONS: La sensibilisation au VIH/SIDA était élevée alors que le dépistage du VIH était rare. Les programmes de sensibilisation au VIH devraient cibler les adolescents des zones rurales et ceux non scolarisés. Les programmes pour augmenter le dépistage du VIH, mis en œuvre dans ces communautés et dans des communautés similaires, devraient se concentrer sur les adolescents masculins et ceux vivant en milieu rural.