ERIC Number: EJ814657
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Sep
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1559-5692
EISSN: N/A
On the Limits of Sexual Health Literacy: Insights from Ugandan Schoolgirls
Jones, Shelley; Norton, Bonny
Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v1 n4 p285-305 Sep 2007
This article makes the case that current conceptions of sexual health literacy have limited relevance to the Ugandan context because they assume that knowledge of unsafe sexual practices will lead to changes in behavior and lifestyle. Drawing on a longitudinal case study with 15 Ugandan schoolgirls in rural Uganda from August 2004 to September 2006, this study argues that despite being well-informed about the risks and responsibilities of sexual activity, poverty and sexual abuse severely constrained options for these young women. Although many believed in the value of abstaining from sexual activity until marriage, they engaged in transactional sex to pay for school fees, supplies, clothing, and food. Further, fear of sexual abuse, early pregnancy, and HIV-AIDS compromised attempts to embrace sexuality. The article concludes with implications of the study for research and policy on sexual health literacy in Uganda and other poorly resourced regions of the world. (Contains 9 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Sexual Abuse, Pregnancy, Sexuality, Foreign Countries, Females, Case Studies, Longitudinal Studies, Rural Areas, Sex Education, Risk, Responsibility, Poverty, Social Values, Fear, Early Parenthood, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Relevance (Education), Behavior Change, Life Style, Social Influences
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Uganda
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A