Research project Boys and young men have higher prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases compared to girls and young women and in principle they should bear the same responsibility for protection against unwanted pregnancies and other reproductive health issues.
Despite that, only around 10 to 15% of the visitors of youth clinics are boys and young men. This study aims to identify effective and feasible strategies to increase boys and young men’s access to youth clinics in Sweden.
Background and research questions:
Although the Swedish national SRHR strategy identifies equal health as an aim, the strategy provides no specific policy recommendations to improve boys and young men’s SRH. In addition, the Swedish Society for Youth Centres (FSUM) highlights the need to improve youth clinics’ ability to address boys and young men’s SRH needs.
This project will identify actions/interventions that might help improve boys and young men’s access to youth clinics and their engagement in SRH. The research will also identify the SRH needs and priorities, the challenges of providing SRH care, and the role of gender in the SRH of boys and young men.
The project aims to answer the following questions:
1. What do we know?
What interventions to increase boys and young men’s access to SRH services has been evaluated in Europe?
2. What has been tried in Sweden?
What strategies are used to attract BYM to youth clinics in Sweden?
3. Why status quo?
What individual and structural factors hinder or facilitate boys and young men’s access to youth clinics in Sweden?
4. What can be done?
Which strategies are more effective and feasible to improve the access of BYM to youth clinics in Sweden?
Data and method
The four research questions of this project will be answered using the following methods respectively:
1. Scoping literature review to map the interventions and their effects on boys and young men’s access to SRH services.
2. Explorative survey and follow up telephone interviews to youth clinics in Sweden to explore their strategies to attract BYM. Document review of regional and national strategies about boys and young men’s access to SRH services in general and youth clinics.
3. Multiple case studies approach to study youth clinics in two regions in Sweden that vary in their rurality, sociodemographic features, and their healthcare organization.
4. Q-sorting where representatives of; youth organizations; and healthcare providers and policy makers evaluate the different strategies identified in stage 1 and 2 in terms of feasibility and effectiveness.
Societal relevance and utilisation
This proposed research will generate new knowledge, inform policy makers, and aid the implementation of strategies to increase BYM access to youth clinics. This will ultimately improve their SRH, encourage them to have equal shared responsibilities of SRH and increase gender equality.
