TeenWeb Nairobi: Results of a Web-based Project to Survey and Educate Students About Health

Abstact

"This report summarises the results of the pioneering TeenWeb Kenya study, which used the Internet as a research and educational tool in low-resource settings. We hope these results will galvanize further action among those who support policies and interventions to improve adolescents' access to reproductive-health information and services. We welcome input and ideas about how these findings can best stimulate and inform policies and practices aimed at the advancement of youth.

This study paints a detailed portrait of the students of Nairobi's public secondary schools. They are both very keen and yet rather unprepared to join the adult world with its attendant responsibilities. We think you will find the results tell a compelling story that cannot be ignored.

The study had four main objectives:

1. To better understand the social, educational and sexual health needs of urban secondary school students aged12-21 years.
2. To share this knowledge to improve policy and servicesfor adolescents.
3. To test a new research modality (the Internet) forcollecting data over time.
4. To test a new teaching modality (the Internet) forhealth education.

This report presents the results of preliminary analyses directed at objectives 1 and 4. Students from Forms 1–4 participated, with 85% enrolled in Forms 2 and 3 at the start of the project. The mean age at study entry was 16.5 years. Girls comprise almost 40% of the study sample."