Gendered Health, Economic, Social and Safety Impact of COVID-19 on Adolescents and Young Adults in Nairobi, Kenya

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorDecker, Michele R.
dc.contributor.authorWood, Shannon N.
dc.contributor.authorThiongo, Mary
dc.contributor.authorByrne, Meagan E.
dc.contributor.authorDevoto, Bianca
dc.contributor.authorMorgan, Rosemary
dc.contributor.authorBevilacqua, Kristin
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, Anaise
dc.contributor.authorH, Colleen Stuart
dc.contributor.authorWamue- Ngare, Grace
dc.contributor.authorHeise, Lori
dc.contributor.authorGlass, Nancy
dc.contributor.authorAnglewicz, Philip
dc.contributor.authorGummerson, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.authorGichangi, Peter
dc.date.accessioned2021-11-15T08:30:21Z
dc.date.available2021-11-15T08:30:21Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.descriptionA research article published in PloseOneen_US
dc.description.abstractBackground Infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19 and their mitigation measures can exacerbate underlying gender disparities, particularly among adolescents and young adults in densely populated urban settings. Methods An existing cohort of youth ages 16–26 in Nairobi, Kenya completed a phone-based survey in August-October 2020 (n = 1217), supplemented by virtual focus group discussions and interviews with youth and stakeholders, to examine economic, health, social, and safety experiences during COVID-19, and gender disparities therein. Results COVID-19 risk perception was high with a gender differential favoring young women (95.5% vs. 84.2%; p<0.001); youth described mixed concern and challenges to prevention. During COVID-19, gender symmetry was observed in constrained access to contraception among contraceptive users (40.4% men; 34.6% women) and depressive symptoms (21.8% men; 24.3% women). Gender disparities rendered young women disproportionately unable to meet basic economic needs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.21; p<0.05) and in need of healthcare during the pandemic (aOR = 1.59; p<0.001). At a bivariate level, women had lower full decisional control to leave the house (40.0% vs. 53.2%) and less consistent access to safe, private internet (26.1% vs. 40.2%), while men disproportionately experienced police interactions (60.1%, 55.2% of which included extortion). Gender-specific concerns for women included menstrual hygiene access challenges (52.0%), increased reliance on transactional partnerships, and gender-based violence, with 17.3% reporting past-year partner violence and 3.0% non-partner sexual violence. Qualitative results contextualize the mental health impact of economic disruption and isolation, and, among young women, privacy constraints. Implications Youth and young adults face gendered impacts of COVID-19, reflecting both underlying disparities and the pandemic’s economic and social shock. Economic, health and technologybased supports must ensure equitable access for young women. Gender-responsive recovery efforts are necessary and must address the unique needs of youth.en_US
dc.identifier.citationDecker MR, Wood SN, Thiongo M, Byrne ME, Devoto B, Morgan R, et al. (2021) Gendered health, economic, social and safety impact of COVID-19 on adolescents and young adults in Nairobi, Kenya. PLoS ONE 16(11): e0259583. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259583en_US
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259583
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/22999
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherPloseOneen_US
dc.subjectGendered healthen_US
dc.subjectImpact of COVID-19en_US
dc.subjectAdolescents and young adultsen_US
dc.subjectNairobien_US
dc.subjectKenyaen_US
dc.titleGendered Health, Economic, Social and Safety Impact of COVID-19 on Adolescents and Young Adults in Nairobi, Kenyaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Gendered Health, Economic, Social and Safety Impact.pdf
Size:
566.81 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Full text article
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
RP-Department of Gender and Development Studies