[The "health promotion" approach, a strategic alternative to teenagers' health in the Democratic Republic of Congo?].
This paper describes a review of the possibilities of improving HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health of teenagers and adolescents in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This approach was based on compilation of institutional, political, legislative and national strategy data. The document review was completed by information collected from 15 key informants and by direct observation of the work of peer educators and community workers, allowing evaluation of the possibilities of development of the priority domains of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion in young adolescents. Health promotion interventions for adolescents are globally ensured institutionally by three specialized programmes of the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with numerous national and international partners. Organized operationally outside of the primary health care circuit, strategic actions are more specifically directed towards acquisition of knowledge than individual skills by means of IEC (information, education and communication) and (BCC) (behaviour change communication) approaches, but with disappointing results. Although traces of these five priority domains of the Ottawa Charter are perceptible in the national response to the health problems of adolescents, the work of the various actors is not coordinated and organized in compliance with health promotion guidelines. The training of health workers appears to be a major determinant to structure this response around a dynamic federating the actions of all stakeholders to orient them towards the options of the health promotion approach.
Gabriel Vodiena
GV
Nsakala
Yves
Y
Coppieters
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control; D000293:Adolescent; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D060728:Reproductive Health; D055815:Young Adult