In Bangladesh, faith-based organizations have the potential to meaningfully address harmful gender and sexual and reproductive health attitudes, behaviors and norms among very young adolescents, their families and communities. This brief summarizes an activity that sought to strengthen local partner capacity to apply effective programming addressing challenges facing very young adolescents, a population that is commonly overlooked.

Using data collected from a sample of 325 urban Ghanaian women (ages 15 to 24), this study examined associations between two adapted reproductive autonomy subscales—decisionmaking and communication—and women’s use of modern contraceptives at last sex. It concludes that the reproductive autonomy construct, particularly the decisionmaking subscale, demonstrates relevance for family planning outcomes among young women in Ghana and may have utility in global settings.

The participation of adolescents, ages 10 to 18, in health research poses legal and ethical challenges, particularly when the research focuses on sexual and reproductive health. This document highlights some of these challenges and outlines how they may be addressed.

Traditional gender norms in Nepal contribute to a lack of opportunity for women and girls and limit their access to reproductive health services. Early adolescence provides a key opportunity to shift these harmful norms. The results of this study suggest that family- and community-based interventions can be effective at improving gender equity among very young adolescents.