Adolescent Use of Family Planning and Sexual Behavior in Uganda: Evidence from the African Youth Alliance (AYA) Survey 2006

Gideon Rutaremwa, Makerere University

This paper examines the impact of African Youth Alliance (AYA) program on the use of family planning methods of 17 to 22 year old youths in Uganda. Between 2000 and 2005, the comprehensive, multi-component AYA program implemented behavior change communication; youth-friendly clinical services; coordinated policy and advocacy; provided institutional capacity building; and established coordination mechanisms between youth program implementing agencies. Analyses of findings from 3049 individual adolescents interviewed suggest that AYA had a positive impact on sexual behaviors among youths. The results show that exposure to AYA led to substantially higher likelihood of contraceptive use and having fewer sexual partners among females, but not among males. Scaling-up programmes such as the AYA program in Uganda could therefore be expected to significantly improve the sexual and reproductive health of the female youth population of the country. There is need to identify effective strategies to promote safer sexual behaviors among male youths.