Mount Allison researchers awarded CIHR grant to improve sexual education for northern Canadian youth
2012-08-15 09:48:26
SACKVILLE, NB — Two Mount Allison University researchers have received a Planning Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to support their work. Psychology professor Dr. Lisa Dawn Hamilton and sociology professor Dr. Vanessa Oliver are collaborating on a project to develop a northern and aboriginal sexual health education intervention strategy. The Planning Grant is worth $13,050 over one year.
The grant will support a preliminary study to see if it is feasible to move ahead with a longer-term project to have youth in the Northwest Territories develop short films about sexual health that could be used in communities throughout northern Canada.
“We want youth to create films about sexual health education that are relevant to their lives as a way to get information to places that are isolated,” Hamilton says. “This is a way to get comprehensive sex education to remote communities in a youth-friendly format that does not require someone to travel to the community, making it more affordable and more accessible.”
The grant will allow the researchers to travel to two communities in the Northwest Territories this summer to conduct focus groups with youth, interested adults, and elders.“We want to see what they think the needs of the communities are and the interest and feasibility of doing these video projects,” Hamilton says.
The Northwest Territories has some of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Canada. By educating and empowering youth, Hamilton and Oliver hope to help lower STI rates over time, as well as reduce the rates of unplanned pregnancies among youth and sexual assault. There is already some evidence that this approach works. One of the communities they will be visiting, Behchoko, undertook a similar community-based video project and has seen a reduction in their STI rates.
Oliver says early data is showing that art-based projects like this one are having a positive impact. They also tend to appeal to youth in particular.
“Especially in terms of digital media — they are very connected to these forms of communication,” she says. “It is especially relevant for them because they can post their work and their sexual health messages to Facebook and YouTube and young people are more likely to relate and respond to peer-developed content.”
Oliver says this type of project also has the added bonus of helping youth develop skills in video editing and production, research, and leadership.
“We are pleased to see Lisa Dawn and Vanessa receive funding for the first step of this ambitious project to benefit northern youth,” says Dr. Karen Grant, provost and vice-president, academic and research. “By collaborating together, they are able to capitalize on their expertise and create a project that acknowledges that complex issues require the blending of complementary perspectives.”
Hamilton is a sexual health researcher and educator, while Oliver’s research focuses on young people’s access to sexual health education and services, aboriginal youth, and HIV prevention. Hamilton has already travelled to the Northwest Territories once this summer and both she and Oliver will be heading to Yellowknife to conduct focus groups there beginning Aug. 21. Learn more about the project on their Facebook site.
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Photo caption: Dr. Vanessa Oliver, left, and Dr. Lisa Dawn Hamilton, right.