Through Their Eyes: Youth Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Barriers and Facilitators in Baltimore, Maryland

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 73; no. 6; pp. 983 - 991
• Main Authors: Sao, Saumya S., Yu, Ruoxi, Barre-Quick, Maclaine, Abboud, Sadie, Deshmukh, Sanyukta, Wang, Runzhi, Coleman, Jenell S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-12-2023
• Subjects: Community-engagement; Photovoice; Reproductive health; Sexual health; Youth; Reproductive health; Community-engagement; Youth; Photovoice; Sexual health
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.05.001

Youth face barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Few states require the delivery of comprehensive sex education in schools, and youth report challenges with accessing clinical care. We sought to identify youth's perceived barriers and facilitators to SRH in their communities.
We utilized photovoice, a community-based participatory research methodology. Youth were recruited from high schools in Baltimore, Maryland. Participants were given a tutorial on Photovoice methodology and photography. In groups of 5–7 participants, youth brainstormed questions relevant to their perspective of SRH. Three months were allocated to taking photographs. Participants wrote brief narratives to accompany their photographs, and group level assessment was used for participants to comment on others' photographs. Participants discussed the narratives and comments, created themes, and generated action steps to address barriers to SRH. Further thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo.
There were 30 participants aged 14–19 years with 26 self-identifying as female and four nonbinary. Self-identified race/ethnicity included 50% Black/African American, 30% Asian American, and 20% White or Hispanic/Latino. Four domains emerged: desire for societal-level change, community-level change, peer-level change, and positive examples of SRH within their communities (e.g., gender-inclusive spaces and free menstrual products).
Youth photographs shed light on a strong desire for an improved school environment, in terms of safety, cleanliness, gender-inclusivity, menstrual product access, and SRH education.