Introduction to the Special Issue on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Abstract

New research on adolescents sexual and reproductive health and more broadly on their transitions to adulthood is essential to guide the development of more effective policies and programs in sub-Saharan Africa. In recognition of the importance of these issues the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) established a scientific panel on Life Course in Developing Countries to focus on gaps in knowledge that were highlighted in the recent report presented by the United States National Academy of Sciences (NRC/ IOM 2005) on adolescent transitions in the developing world. This special issue of Studies in Family Planning presents a selection of the studies on sub-Saharan Africa that were presented at the first meeting organized by this panel at the International Seminar on and Reproductive to Adulthood in Developing Countries1 together with additional studies on related themes. The first section on Sexual and Reproductive Transitions analyzes demographic and ethnographic data to identify trends in adolescent sexual marital and reproductive transitions and proposes guidelines for safe age-appropriate timing of such transitions. The second section on HIV Risk examines such risk in the contexts of hazardous partnering practices (multiple concurrent and age-asymmetrical relationships) and of adolescents inability to refuse sex with those in positions of power over them. The third section on Schooling and Adolescent Behavior considers the complex interplay between premarital sex pregnancy and schooling. The compilation includes works by such leaders in the field as Ruth Dixon-Mueller John Cleland Ann Biddlecom and Barbara Mensch and will serve as a guide for future research programs and policies.