By Victor Turinawe
The Country Representative of Population Services International (PSI), Dr Lillian Sekabembe, has called for a shift from simply providing information to promoting meaningful communication in efforts to improve the sexual and reproductive health of young people.
Dr Sekabembe made the call while speaking as the chief guest at the Olutindo Research Dissemination Conference held at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono Municipality. The conference was hosted by the Principal Investigator (PI), Prof James Kiwanuka-Tondo, under the theme: “Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health Behaviour Change among Teenage Girls in Mukono District through Strategic Communication Intervention.”
Dr Sekabembe emphasised the need for meaningful conversations among young people, parents, communities, health professionals, academics, the media and policymakers, noting that providing information alone is not sufficient to influence behaviour.
She observed that young people do not grow up within communication campaigns but within relationships, and their decisions are influenced by several factors, including what they believe, what their peers think, what their parents and partners say, and the social environment in which they live.
“Knowledge is not behaviour change,” Dr Sekabembe stressed, explaining that people make decisions based not only on what they know but also on what they believe and the people they trust.
She further urged stakeholders to involve young people in designing programmes intended to address challenges affecting them.
“Young people want to be heard. They want to be involved,” she said, stressing that adolescents should not only be treated as recipients of programmes but should actively participate in identifying their needs, developing solutions and communicating messages to their peers.
Prof James Kiwanuka-Tondo, the Principal Investigator, said the research was motivated by the high prevalence of teenage pregnancies and school dropouts in Mukono District.
According to the 2020 Mukono District Health Report cited by the researchers, 24 per cent of teenage girls aged between 13 and 19 had given birth and subsequently dropped out of school.
Prof Kiwanuka-Tondo said teenage pregnancies are closely linked to a cycle of poverty, unemployment and poor health, making it necessary to develop interventions that directly respond to the experiences and concerns of adolescents.
The main objective of the research was therefore to promote positive sexual and reproductive health behaviour among teenage girls through a strategic communication intervention based on a participatory and community-centred approach.
To address communication gaps between adolescents and their parents or guardians, the researchers developed a card game dubbed “Breaking the Silence, One Card at a Time.”
The game is designed to provide a safe and interactive platform where parents, guardians and teenage girls can initiate conversations about sexual and reproductive health issues that are often considered difficult or uncomfortable to discuss.
The card game is accompanied by a pamphlet or booklet designed to guide parents and guardians on how to approach such conversations and appropriately respond to questions from their children.
During the question-and-answer session, Juruwa Nafutal Asegayi, the Director of Studies at Kasawo Secondary School in the Busoga region, called for the early translation of the research findings and materials into local languages such as Lusoga and Luganda.
Asegayi said translating the research into languages commonly spoken by communities would increase awareness among parents, particularly those in rural areas, and help them better understand the dangers of teenage pregnancies.
“I have been in the teaching profession for about ten years in the Busoga region, but most parents there encourage teenage pregnancies by marrying off young girls to men they believe can provide a better future for their children,” Asegayi said.
She urged researchers and stakeholders to ensure that findings from such studies reach communities in forms and languages that ordinary parents can easily understand and use.
Meanwhile, Sharminah Kaum, a Senior Sociologist in the Ministry of Health, said many teenagers fear pregnancy more than HIV/AIDS, which she suggested could contribute to risky sexual behaviour and the continued spread of HIV among young people.
The Olutindo research project was spearheaded by Prof James Kiwanuka-Tondo, with the support of Prof Jeremy Waiswa, six PhD students from the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, and a number of Master’s students from the School of Social Sciences at UCU.
The project seeks to demonstrate how strategic communication and community participation can be used to address sexual and reproductive health challenges affecting teenage girls and strengthen communication between adolescents, parents and other key stakeholders.
