Seminar Series: Prof. Angelo Brandelli Costa, Anna Martha Fontanari and Marina Feijo

Effectiveness of interventions to promote sexual health and foster life skills among adolescents and young adults: an overview of systematic review and equity analysis

Prof. Angelo Brandelli Costa

Professor
Graduate Programs in Psychology, Social Sciences and Medicine
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)
(Brazil)

Short Biography:
Professor of the Graduate Program in Psychology and the Graduate Program in Social Sciences, and of the Graduate Program in Medical Sciences and Health Sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Brazil. Conducts research in the areas of social and health psychology, with an emphasis on prejudice and social attitudes, sexuality, gender and HIV/AIDS.

Anna Martha Fontanari

Postdoctoral in the Graduate Program in Medical Sciences and Health Sciences
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)
(Brazil)

Marina Feijo

Graduate Programs in Psychology, Social Sciences and Medicine
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)
(Brazil)


Abstract:
The effectiveness of health promotion interventions reflects an unfair distribution of opportunities in our society. Our overview aims to identify sexual health interventions that have the potential to facilitate behavioral changes and cultivate essential life skills among youth from different backgrounds. We systematically reviewed six databases to identify systematic reviews published after 2016. We applied the AMSTAR-2 tool to appraise methodological quality and the PROGRESS framework to facilitate the equity analysis. We engaged Brazilian stakeholders in several steps of our review. The overview identified 24 systematic reviews and found that multicomponent school-based interventions are effective strategies in promoting SRH among youth. None of the previous overviews took into account health equity when interpreting their findings. When considering curriculum-based sexual education, a multidisciplinary team adopting a positive and inclusive approach to human sexuality is most effective. However, school-based interventions may be innocuous in face of structural and economic barriers to sexual health (e.g., youth living in poverty or stigmatized populations).

Keywords: 
Public Health; Psychology;Epidemiology 

Date: Friday, November 24th, 2023
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: PHFM 3015 (Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine) or via Zoom (request link by email epibio@uwo.ca)