Youth health survey offensive?
One such parent is Kishmet Brookes-Daniels. The infuriated parent said she learned about the survey last Sunday March 4, 2012 when a parent called in to Speak Your Mind, a talk show, and complained about the type of questions her 11 year-old son was asked.
“I immediately called my daughter, who is 14, to find out what was going on and asked her if she had to complete such a questionnaire. She said yes and asked 'mommy do men actually put their penises in other men’s bottoms?’. I was shocked because I have not even told her about that as yet. And when I got hold of a copy of the questionnaire I was stunned,” Brookes-Daniels disclosed to this news agency.
She also did not appreciate the questions on how many times a teenage girl had an abortion or whether or not if they have ever contemplated suicide. Brookes-Daniels argued that parents should have had a copy of the questionnaire to make an informed decision on whether or not to have his or her child participate.
“We usually have PTA meetings, they could have discussed these things with us the parents first. I don’t want my daughter to be exposed to such sexually explicit information. I believe talking to her about sex is a process. She did not need to know about blow jobs, going down from a questionnaire,” she added.
Virgin Islands News Online obtained a copy of the survey that comprised of 114 questions, which covered nutrition, sex, substance abuse, family life, hygiene, among others, but a large portion of it focuses on sexual and reproductive health.
Under that section, students were cautioned that the questions are personal and sensitive. They were also assured that the Ministry has no way in knowing how the questions are answered and responses will be kept secret. Additionally, in explaining what sexual intercourse meant, the survey stated it included sexual intercourse between a man and a woman, two men, two women, or oral sex.
Another parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated she did not give permission for her daughter to do the survey.
“When I read the consent form that was sent for me to approve I felt a bit uneasy when it was indicated that my child would feel uncomfortable about answering some of the questions regarding drug abuse, sexual behaviour and or their experiences at home and school,” the mother stated.
She noted that her daughter is raised in a strong Christian family, and acknowledged while she might be a bit old fashioned, she did not want her daughter “exposed to such things right now”.
“After all she is just 13. I still have another two years to go,” the mother added.
However, other parents could not understand what the “big hullabaloo” was all about. One father S. Smith said “these young people nowadays know more about sex than we did when we were their age. I found nothing wrong with it. I consented because I was given surety that my children’s names will not appear.”
Another parent J. Cox agreed, “The earlier you teach them about sex, the better for everyone. I am not going to bury my head in the sand and think my 16 year-old son is not having sexual intercourse. But I want him to know the risk factors if he acts foolishly. To be honest if he had brought the questionnaire home I don’t think he would have been honest in his response. You know how nosy we parents can get!”
This news agency spoke with 10 students about the survey and seven found the questions to be okay but a bit repetitive and the three others did not respond.
Health Ministry explainsAccording to Athelene Linton, the Health Surveillance Officer, who spearheaded the survey, she said it is a collaborative effort between the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the MOH geared at better understanding youths’ health and sexuality. The age group was between 12 and 19.
“The objectives were to assess a protective and risk factor as it relates to health and well-being of young persons and to assess the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of young people related to HIV, sexuality and other sexual and reproductive health issues,” she explained to this news agency.
Linton further stated this was not the first time such a survey was done and was a bit surprised about the reaction of some parents. “One was done in 2000, and we wanted to get further insights into issues and problems of young people. The MOH needs the information from the community.”
Furthermore, the Health Surveillance Officer noted that consent forms were sent out and if parents did not wish for his or her child to participate then they were free to do so.
She added that the students, who completed the survey at school between February 6 and 10, 2012, were also notified that if they did not want to answer a particular question they could skip it or stop at any point. However, Brookes-Daniels claimed neither she nor her child’s father received a consent form.
Asked how many parents declined to have their children participate, Linton replied 10.
Meanwhile, the questions that some parents find distasteful were crafted by John Hopkins University researchers – a world class institution in Baltimore, Maryland and Linton opined that she does not think the questions were provocative.
The findings from the survey, she added, will be shared with the parents, schools and the wider community and will be used to plan programmes and interventions “based on the results that we see.” She also added that students were part of a focus group.
“It [the findings] will be made public in another six months because it has to be sent overseas to be analyzed. The John Hopkins University will be analysing it,” Linton said.
Apart from the Virgin Islands, the survey has been conducted in Aruba, Bonaire, Montserrat, St. Maarten, St. Eustia and Saba. Eventually, it will be done in other Caribbean countries.
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