In 1998, responding to the RH needs of adolescents in Lomé, Togo the Association Togolaise pour la Bien-Etre Familial (ATBEF), created a Youth Center offering reproductive health education and services in Lomé. The main objective of the center is to create a favorable environment for adolescents to obtain family life education and access reproductive health information and services. A variety of activities are offered at the center including:(1) Clinic services: pregnancy & STD tests, family planning counseling and provision; (2) Educational programs: films & discussion groups; (3) Counseling; (4) Peer educators; and (5) Other library, literacy, sewing classes and recreational programs.
The evaluation study of the ATBEF youth center has a baseline and follow-up population based panel survey design. In November 1998, baseline surveys of 2085 adolescents ages 10-24 years (male and female) and 1027 parents 30 years and older (male and female) were conducted in neighborhoods close and far from the youth center, prior to full program implementation. In February 2000, follow-up data were collected from the same adolescents and a subgroup of their parents.
This paper presents the quantitative findings for the fifteen-month follow-up period. We examine the impact of the ATBEF youth center on reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and practices on youth who live close to the center and youth who live further away. The results of this paper are useful for informing program and policy makers on the appropriateness of youth centers for meeting the reproductive health needs of youth in urban francophone West Africa.
Learning Objectives: Participants in this session will learn about the RH knowledge, attitudes, and practices of adolescents in Lome and what affect the youth center may have had on these youth. At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: (1) Evaluate the impact of the ATBEF youth center on RH knowledge, attitudes and practices of youth who live close to the center and youth who live further away (2) Identify ways to improve services to meet the RH needs of youth in urban francophone West Africa
Keywords: Adolescents, International, Evaluation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.