Synopsis: Adolescent health needs vary substantially across our region, but also within countries by age, gender, ethnicity, remoteness and other factors. For health actions to be responsive to need, we need good quality data that defines these needs. In this session we highlighted efforts globally, regionally and nationally using population data, and presented a case study of understanding the contemporary drivers of adolescent pregnancy in our region.
Speakers: Professor Peter Azzopardi and Dr Marie Habito
Professor Peter Azzopardi leads an international program of research focusing on adolescent health and wellbeing. His research is informed by experience working as a paediatrician in Australia and across health services in the Asia Pacific region.
Dr Marie Habito is an experienced qualitative researcher with particular skills in participatory methodologies and a background in international development.
Date: 4 April 2024
Time: 1:00 to 2:00 pm AEDT
Key resources:
- Progress in adolescent health and wellbeing: tracking 12 headline indicators for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016 – https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32427-9
- Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!) – Second edition – https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240081765
- UNFPA. My Body is My Body, My Life is My Life: Sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people in Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 2021. https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/unfpa_my_body_is_my_body_my_life_is_my_life.pdf
- Harvey, C. M., FitzGerald, I., Sauvarin, J., Binder, G., & Humphries-Waa, K. (2022). Premarital Conception as a Driver of Child Marriage and Early Union in Selected Countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(3, Supplement), S43-S46. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.11.003
- Ayuandini S, Habito M, Ellis S, et al. Contemporary pathways to adolescent pregnancy in Indonesia: A qualitative investigation with adolescent girls in West Java and Central Sulawesi. PLOS Global Public Health 2023; 3(10): e0001700. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001700
- Habito M, Hennegan J, Rasphone K, et al. From ‘Pen Sao’ to ‘Tue Pa’: Understanding diverse pathways to adolescent pregnancy in Lao People’s Democratic Republic through qualitative investigation with girls in Vientiane Capital, Vientiane Province, and Luang Namtha. PLOS Global Public Health 2024; 4(2): e0002825. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002825
Event recording
Advancing Adolescent Health in the Asia Pacific: A virtual community to share knowledge and support collaboration
Despite one in two of the world’s adolescents living in the Asia-Pacific region, adolescent health is a relatively new field of endeavour in Australia as well as the region. It is a field that spans policy makers from multiple sectors, researchers from different disciplines, and practitioners working in health services, schools and communities and encompasses a multitude of health topics and concerns. Despite this, there are few opportunities to come together to share, showcase and build capacity to improve adolescent health and wellbeing in the region.
This seminar series aims to provide opportunities for researchers, policy makers, practitioners, implementers, young advocates – indeed, anyone interested in the health and wellbeing of adolescents – to enhance their understanding of adolescent health and wellbeing, with a focus on research.
This series is supported by the Centre of Research Excellence for Driving Global Investment in Adolescent Health. Led by a team at the Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, it brings together leading Australian research groups including the University of Melbourne, Burnet Institute, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, University of South Australia, and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.
