Lessons Learned in Engaging Youth in Dissemination of Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey Findings Adolescent panel at the Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey 2019-2020 dissemination event. © 2021 Data for Impact By Milissa Markiewicz September 12, 2024 From 2019-2020, the National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), and Data for Impact (D4I) conducted the first-ever national Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey (BAHWS) with female and male adolescents ages 15-19 to better understand their state of health and wellbeing. The objectives of the BAHWS 2019-20 were to document exposure to social media; assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding menstruation, marriage, and contraception; measure nutritional status; understand use of health information and services; assess attitudes towards gender norms; document experience of violence, bullying, and sexual harassment; and assess mental health and connectedness to family and friends On February 11, 2021, NIPORT, USAID, icddr, b, and D4I hosted a dissemination seminar in Dhaka for the BAHWS 2019-20. Youth presenters ages 15-19 shared survey key findings and discussed the implications for national adolescent health programming and policy. Why engage adolescents in dissemination? We interviewed Shusmita Khan, former Knowledge Management and Communications Specialist for D4I Bangladesh, to learn about her motivation for engaging youth in dissemination. In turn, Shusmita interviewed two of the adolescent presenters, Adiba Alam and Raheela Khan, as they reflected on their experience preparing for and presenting results to a national audience. In the video below, Shusmita explains the impetus for having youth present the survey findings, something D4I had not done before, noting that it would be an innovative way of presenting the survey results and would draw more attention from policymakers and program managers. How did the survey team prepare the adolescents for the dissemination event? Through word of mouth among survey team members and their colleagues, interested youth learned about the opportunity and submitted short videos explaining their motivation for becoming involved in the dissemination event, such as the desire to improve their public speaking ability or to learn more about data and adolescent health. The survey team selected participants who had a good grasp of English, were interested in health, and had the time to engage in several practice sessions over two months. In the first video below on the left, Shusmita describes how the youth prepared for the presentation through group and individual mentoring and coaching on both understanding and interpreting survey results and public speaking. In the second video below on the right, Adiba describes how the survey team prepared her for the event with coaching and mentoring on public speaking, as well as the content of the data so that she fully understood the results. How did the audience react to the adolescent presenters? In the video below, Shusmita describes how the audience, comprised of national-level policymakers and program managers reacted positively to the youth presenters and were highly engaged in listening to the results presented by the youth. What did the adolescent presenters learn about data, adolescent health, or themselves through their participation in the dissemination seminar? In the first video below on the left, Adiba explains that she gained confidence in public speaking and learned how data is collected, analyzed, and presented in a way that is easily understood, while also gaining insights into the mental health of adolescents in Bangladesh. In the second video below on the right, Raheela discusses how she felt she grew personally from the experience and learned about the health of her fellow adolescents. What advice do the youth presenters have for other adolescents who might be considering getting involved in a similar event? In the videos below, Adiba and Raheela both urge other youth considering a similar opportunity to go forward as it will be a life-changing experience to learn things that “cannot be found in any textbook.” To view the full dissemination seminar and study report, click here. About the survey: The BAHWS 2019-20 was implemented under the authority of the National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT), Medical Education and Family Welfare Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) under the Training, Research and Development (TRD) operational plan of the 4th Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Program (4th HPNSP). The Human Development Research Centre (HDRC) collected data from July 25, 2019, to January 10, 2020. The funding for the BAHWS 2019-2020 was provided by the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Bangladesh, and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Data for Impact (D4I) and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) provided technical assistance.
