Kristin Mmari1, Diane Cooper2, Caroline Moreau3, Leah Koenig4, Michelle Martinez4, Eric Mafuta5, Patrick Kayembe5, Sara De Meyer6, Kristien Michielson6, Chunyan Yu7, Xiayun Zuo7, Robert Wm Blum4. 1. Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: kmmari1@jh.edu. 2. School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. 3. Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Soins Primaires et Prévention, Inserm U1018, Center for research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), Villejuif, France. 4. Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. 5. Health Systems Management and Policy Department, Kinshasa School of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 6. International Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium. 7. China NHC Key Laboratory of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
PURPOSE: This paper used data from the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) to provide a descriptive analysis of how early adolescents' social environments vary by sex across diverse cultural settings. METHODS: The analyses were based on baseline data among 10-14-year old adolescents living in disadvantaged urban areas in seven sites: Kinshasa (DRC), Shanghai (China), Cuenca (Ecuador), Lampung, Semarang and Denpasar (Indonesia), and Flanders (Belgium). Except in Kinshasa where face-to face interviews were used, data were collected using self-administered surveys on mobile tablets. Social environments were measured by examining factors within five main domains, including the household and family, school, peers, neighborhoods, and the media. Site-specific descriptive analyses were performed, using Chi square tests and Student T-tests to identify sex-differences in each site. RESULTS: The majority of early adolescents lived in two-parent households, perceived their parents/guardians cared and monitored them, had at least one friend, reported high educational aspirations, and perceived their neighborhoods as safe, socially cohesive, with a high level of social control. Yet, large gender and site differences were also observed. More girls reported same-sex friends and high levels of parental monitoring, while boys were more likely to have mixed-sex friends and spend greater amounts of time with friends. Adolescents in Kinshasa and Semarang watched the most TV per day, while higher proportions of adolescents in Flanders used social media on a daily basis. Significant gender differences in media use were also observed but varied according to site. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding how social contexts differ between boys and girls across sites has relevance for how we might examine gender attitude formations and subsequent health behaviors. Given the increased attention on the importance of early adolescence for shaping gender attitudes and norms, implementing approaches that consider the differences in boys' and girls' lives may hold the most promise for creating sustained and improve change.
PURPOSE: This paper used data from the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) to provide a descriptive analysis of how early adolescents' social environments vary by sex across diverse cultural settings. METHODS: The analyses were based on baseline data among 10-14-year old adolescents living in disadvantaged urban areas in seven sites: Kinshasa (DRC), Shanghai (China), Cuenca (Ecuador), Lampung, Semarang and Denpasar (Indonesia), and Flanders (Belgium). Except in Kinshasa where face-to face interviews were used, data were collected using self-administered surveys on mobile tablets. Social environments were measured by examining factors within five main domains, including the household and family, school, peers, neighborhoods, and the media. Site-specific descriptive analyses were performed, using Chi square tests and Student T-tests to identify sex-differences in each site. RESULTS: The majority of early adolescents lived in two-parent households, perceived their parents/guardians cared and monitored them, had at least one friend, reported high educational aspirations, and perceived their neighborhoods as safe, socially cohesive, with a high level of social control. Yet, large gender and site differences were also observed. More girls reported same-sex friends and high levels of parental monitoring, while boys were more likely to have mixed-sex friends and spend greater amounts of time with friends. Adolescents in Kinshasa and Semarang watched the most TV per day, while higher proportions of adolescents in Flanders used social media on a daily basis. Significant gender differences in media use were also observed but varied according to site. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding how social contexts differ between boys and girls across sites has relevance for how we might examine gender attitude formations and subsequent health behaviors. Given the increased attention on the importance of early adolescence for shaping gender attitudes and norms, implementing approaches that consider the differences in boys' and girls' lives may hold the most promise for creating sustained and improve change.
Authors: Sara Causevic; Mariano Salazar; Nicola Orsini; Anna Kågesten; Anna Mia Ekström Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2022-03-30 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Shoshanna L Fine; Rashelle J Musci; Judith K Bass; Effie Chipeta; Eric M Mafuta; Anggriyani W Pinandari; Siswanto A Wilopo; Xiayun Zuo; Robert W Blum Journal: J Adolesc Health Date: 2022-06-13 Impact factor: 7.830