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Item A Qualitative Exploration to Understand the Sexual Behavior and Needs of Young Adults: A Study Among College Students of Pune, India(Indian J. Pediatr., 2020) Radhika Brahme; Megha Mamulwar; Girish Rahane; Sachin Jadhav; Narayan Panchal; Rajesh Yadav; Raman GangakhedkarObjective Youth and adolescents are the priority population to target the interventions as risky behaviors persist and they contribute to almost half of the new Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. The youth in India have a unique and diverse need of sex health education. The present study was conducted with the objective to understand their sexual behavior and requirements of sexual health. Methods Focus group discussions were conducted among 74 college students, separately for boys and girls. The participant students were from different streams of education. The domains of enquiry were related to the relationships, risk behaviors, sources of information and use of technology for sex health education. The qualitative data was analyzed based on the themes and subthemes derived from these discussions. Results A majority of the youth favoured active involvement of parents, school teachers in sex health education. They suggested that better-informed parents lead to better-informed adolescents. Open discussion with experts was also desired by the students. The use of mobile/web based application for sex health education and awareness about HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was preferred, however, they suggested that based on personal requirements, individual need based counseling and guidance is important. Conclusions Active parental involvement and open discussions on sexuality were the preferred options by the student to seek the knowledge and guidance. Innovative mobile application for sex health education will be useful for the young adults for information and communication. The study highlighted a need to develop a holistic approach to generate a culturally-sensitive sex health education and life skills model.Item A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinic Under National Adolescent Health Program, Puducherry, India(Indian J. Pediatr., 2019) Thulasingam Mahalakshmy; Kariyarath Cheriyath Premarajan; Kathirvel Soundappan; Kanagarethinam Rajarethinam; Yuvaraj Krishnamoorthy; Adhisakthi Rajalatchumi; Vijayageetha Mathavaswami; Deepika Chandar; Palanivel Chinnakali; Amol R. DongreObjectives To assess the awareness and utilization of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinic (AFHC) services among school going adolescents (14-19 y) and to explore the forces 'for' and 'against' the utilization of AFHC services in Puducherry, India. Methods This mixed-methods study was conducted in two primary health centres. Record review assessed the utilization of AFHC service. Survey assessed the awareness on AFHC services and self-reported illnesses and their treatment seeking behavior. Group interviews were conducted with adolescent girls, boys and healthcare providers. A summative content analysis was done to organize the 'for' and 'against' forces for service utilization. Results Of the 311 adolescents, less than 50% were aware of the services available at AFHC. Utilization of Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation was good. Only 2-10% of adolescents consulted the outpatient services of the Primary Health Centre for the treatment of their health problems. The authors found low utilization of AFHC services (15% among girls, zero among boys). One of the reasons for low utilization was poor awareness. Though free sanitary napkins motivated the girls to avail the services, boys considered the AFHC as a girl's clinic. Healthcare providers suggested that building rapport and trust with adolescents and their parents, involving school teachers and ensuring privacy in the clinic would increase the utilization. Conclusions There is a huge gap between the awareness and utilization of AFHC services. The reasons for non-utilization were poor awareness and misconceptions about the clinic. Training of health staffs on communication skills, and supportive supervision could improve the utilization.