Christina Lan, BA
Nominated From: University of Minnesota
Research Site: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Research Area: Sexual and reproductive health, adolescent health
Primary Mentor: Dr. Shailey Prasad
Research Project
Use of Technology Among Youth in the Peruvian Amazon: Exploring Community Perspectives on Technology’s Potential for Sexual and Reproductive Health Education
High risk sexual/reproductive health behavior is prevalent in adolescents residing in the Peruvian Amazon, while access to health services remains challenging and education is inadequate in schools. As technology/social media access continues to become more common in this rural area, this presents an opportunity to develop a technology-based resource that can provide reliable, private access to health resources and education. Using a youth participatory action research and community based participatory research approach, I will conduct a formative, qualitative study to better understand how youth currently use and access technology and community perceptions of technology as a resource for reproductive health education. The goal of gathering this information will be to guide future sexual and reproductive health interventions for youth in the Peruvian Amazon. This project will be conducted in collaboration with Mamás del Río, a community-based project based out of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia committed to improving maternal and neonatal health in the Loreto region.
Research Significance
Given the high risk SRH behavior and unique experiences of youth in the Peruvian Amazon, it would be important to tailor HIV/STI/unplanned pregnancy prevention interventions to match this community’s needs and preferences for it to be effective and empowering. With increasing access to the Internet/technology in these communities and increased use of these resources to identify SRH information, further work is needed to be done to better understand community perspectives on the acceptability and utility of technology as a means for SRH education, and how technology could be used to supplement SRH education in a manner that is both effective and respectful to local and Indigenous culture. To do so, it would be important to characterize rural youth’s current access and use of technology and media. Involving the community who is intended to use such interventions in the design of these products would increase their potential to have positive impacts on health outcomes. By taking a YPAR/CBPR approach, this would have the potential to empower community members as active generators of knowledge as MDR develops this youth-centered SRH intervention.
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