Interagency Youth Working Group

Young people all over the world have eagerly embraced the Internet as a way to obtain information and to communicate with others. In addition, mobile phones are possibly the most popular technology in the world. Sixty-one percent of the world's 2.7 billion mobile phone users live in developing countries — and many of these users are young people. International health organizations are considering ways to leverage new information and communication technologies (ICTs) — such as Web sites, text messaging, and even video games — to improve reproductive health services and to broaden access to educational materials available to the young people who need them most. Pilot programs have included:

• An interactive Web page about HIV, sexuality, and reproductive health for teenagers in Nigeria
• A video game developed by UNICEF, in which players make choices about sexual behavior in real-life situations
• A hotline that uses text messaging to answer questions posed by young people and to provide referrals to clinical services
• A program using cell phones to send reminders and follow-up calls regarding adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive youth

Although these pilot programs have shown promise, few of them have been rigorously evaluated. Continued research and development of best practices are still needed so that the promises of using these new technologies to improve reproductive health can be fulfilled.

Recommended Resources 

Reports and Briefs

YouthLens No. 28. Communicating with Youth: Using the Internet and Mobile Phones in Reproductive Health Programs (PDF, 185 KB)
The Internet and mobile phones hold promise as tools for reaching youth, but more evaluation is needed on their effectiveness. (Interagency Youth Working Group, 2009)

Rapid Assessment of Cell Phones for Development (PDF, 880 KB)
A detailed overview of existing initiatives to deploy cell phone technologies for development and social goals in South Africa. (UNICEF, 2007)

Improving Health, Connecting People: The Role of ICTs in the Health Sector of Developing Countries, A Framework Paper (PDF, 648 KB)
This paper provides a snapshot of the types of ICT interventions being used in the health sector and the policy debates involving ICTs and health. (infoDev, 2006)

Case Studies

TV Soap Operas in HIV Education: Reaching out with Popular Entertainment (40 pages, 664 KB)
This document provides an overview of why and how the German Development Cooperation supports soap operas as an integral component of national and regional HIV programs. It also describes three soap operas designed to reflect and respond to three very different epidemics in Kyrgyzstan, Dominican Republic, and Côte d'Ivoire. Characters and target audiences include young people. (German HIV Peer Review Group, 2009)

Effectiveness of web-based education in Kenyan and Brazilian adolescents' knowledge about HIV/AIDS, abortion law, and emergency contraception: Findings from TeenWeb
This paper reports results from an evaluation of the TeenWeb project, a multi-year, Web-based health education intervention implemented in two urban settings: Nairobi, Kenya and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Halpern et al., 2008)

Exposure to MTV's global HIV prevention campaign in Kathmandu, Nepal; São Paulo, Brazil; and Dakar, Senegal
The paper presents the results of an evaluation of MTV's global HIV prevention campaign in three countries. Data were collected through household surveys, and analysis reveals both the types of young people who saw the campaign, and describes actual levels of exposure among the intended audience. (Geary, et al., 2007)

Internet Use among Ugandan Adolescents: Implications for HIV Intervention
The paper outlines the results of the Uganda Media and You Survey, a cross-sectional survey of Internet use among adolescents in Mbarra, Uganda. (Ybarra et al., 2006)

Web Sites

ISIS (Internet Sexuality Information Services)
ISIS is a nonprofit company that works in the United States and internationally to use technology and new media for sexual health promotion and disease prevention. The Web site includes a description of current project, resources, and publications.

OneWorld Africa
Although not specifically focused on youth, this organization's Web site offers information about various uses of technology to promote health and social justice.