Social and economic characteristics of street youth by gender and level of street involvement in Eldoret, Kenya.
BACKGROUND
Street-connected youth are a neglected and vulnerable population, particularly in resource-constrained settings. The development of interventions and supports for this population requires insight into how they live. This study describes the social and economic characteristics of a convenience sample of street youth (SY) in Eldoret, Kenya.


METHODS
Participants were eligible if they were aged 12-21, living in Eldoret, spending days only (part-time), or nights and days on the street (full-time) and able and willing to consent or assent. Data were collected using a standardized interview conducted in English or Kiswahili. Binary dependent variables were having been arrested and/or jailed, and first priority for spending money (food vs. other). Nominal categorical dependent variables included major source of support, and major reason for being street-involved. Multivariable analysis used logistic regression models to examine the association of gender and level of street-involvement with social and economic factors of interest adjusting for age and length of time on the street. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.3.


RESULTS
Of the 200 SY enrolled, 41% were female, mean age of 16.3 years; 71% were on the street full-time, and 29% part-time. Compared with part-time SY, full-time SY were more likely to have been arrested (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 2.33, 95% Confidence Interval [95%CI]:1.01-5.35), name food as their first spending priority (AOR: 2.57, 95%CI:1.03-6.45), have left home due to violence (AOR: 5.54, 95%CI: 1.67-18.34), and more likely to report friends on the street as a major source of support (AOR: 3.59, 95% CI: 1.01-12.82). Compared with females, males were more likely to have ever been arrested (AOR: 2.66, 95%CI:1.14-6.18), and to have ever been jailed (AOR: 3.22, 95%CI:1.47-7.02).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest a high degree of heterogeneity and vulnerability among SY in this setting. There is an urgent need for interventions taking into consideration these characteristics.
School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America.
Rebecca
R
Sorber
Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America; Rhode Island Hospital-Hasbro Youth's Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America.
Susanna
S
Winston
AMPATH Consortium, Eldoret, Kenya.
Julius
J
Koech
Department of Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
David
D
Ayuku
Department of Biostatistics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America.
Liangyuan
L
Hu
AMPATH Consortium, Eldoret, Kenya; Department of Biostatistics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America.
Joseph
J
Hogan
School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America; AMPATH Consortium, Eldoret, Kenya; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Regenstrief Institute, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America.
Paula
P
Braitstein
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002947:Cities; D005260:Female; D018453:Homeless Youth / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult