Youth participation in sexual and reproductive health: policy, practice, and progress in Malawi

Jannah Wigle (), Stewart Paul (), Anne-Emanuelle Birn (), Brenda Gladstone () and Paula Braitstein ()
Additional contact information
Jannah Wigle: Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Stewart Paul: Parent and Child Health Initiative (PACHI)
Anne-Emanuelle Birn: Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Brenda Gladstone: Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Paula Braitstein: Moi University

International Journal of Public Health, No 0, 11 pages

Abstract: Abstract Objectives Ensuring youth participation in policymaking that affects their health and well-being is increasingly recognized as a strategy to improve young people’s reproductive health. This paper aimed to describe the policy context and analyze underlying factors that influence youth participation in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) policymaking in Malawi. Methods This critical, focused ethnographic study is informed by postcolonial feminism and difference-centered citizenship theory, based on data collected from October 2017 to May 2018. Multiple research methods were employed: document analysis, focus group discussions, and “moderate” participant observation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants and youth, supplemented by open-ended drawing exercises with youth. Results Progressive policies and the presence of youth in some policymaking structures indicate substantial headway in Malawi. However, underlying structural and societal factors circumscribe young people’s lived experiences of participation. Conclusions Despite recent progress in involving young people in SRH policymaking, notable gaps remain between policy and practice. Recognizing and integrating young people in all stages of SRH policymaking is critical to catalyzing the social and political changes necessary to ensure their reproductive health and well-being.

Keywords: Youth; Adolescent; Young people; Reproductive health; Participation; Policymaking; Malawi (search for similar items in EconPapers)
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00038-020-01357-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:ijphth:v::y::i::d:10.1007_s00038-020-01357-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/00038

DOI: 10.1007/s00038-020-01357-8

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Thomas Kohlmann, Nino Künzli and Andrea Madarasova Geckova

More articles in International Journal of Public Health from Springer, Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().