NATIONAL7Spotlight Weekly)]

Emerging Problem

A regional conference in Taipei focuses on the increasing risk behaviors among the youths of Asia

By SANJAYA DHAKAL in Taipei

With the decline in the birth and death rates, countries like Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh are experiencing a phenomenon called "youth bulge" (growing youth population), triggering profound demographic and social changes.

Organizers of the conference : Serious deliberations

"There has been a dramatic shift towards later marriage leading to a wide gap between puberty and marriage, which, in turn, leads to a situation wherefrom flows many issues of risk-taking like smoking, drinking, drug abuse and pre-marital sex," said Peter Xenos, a population and health expert at the East West Center in Honolulu, at the conference held in Taipei from November 26-29.

The conference called "Asian Youth at Risk (AYAR)" held extensive discussions on the results of large-scale international/regional research done in six countries ó Nepal, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines and Indonesia. The study was based on household research.

"In Nepal, we had conducted a research last year called Nepal Adolescent and Young Adults (NAYA) Study where 9,000 young people between 14-22 years of age were interviewed in five urban centers and rural areas in eight districts," said Dr. Shyam Thapa, senior scientist at the Family Health International (FHI) and one of the co-authors of the study report.

With the burgeoning young population, the focus is now on how to decrease their tendency to take risks. "For planning purposes, each country must be aware of when its youth bulge will occur," said Xenos. Nepal experienced the bulge first in 1988, with the onset of fertility decline.

There are 7.1 million Nepalis in 10-24 age group, representing 31 percent of the total population. They are estimated to grow to 12.6 million by 2030. Fifty-five percent of youths in the 15-19 age group and 44 percent of those between 20 and 24 years are literate. Two out of every five females between five and 19 years and one in every four in the 20-24 age group are illiterate (data taken from the report on schooling, marriage, work and child-bearing among the Nepalese youths by Dr. Thapa, L.B. Acharya and Dr. Ram Hari Aryal).

Dr. Ram Hari Aryal, joint secretary at the parliament secretariat (Population and Social Committee) presented a country statement on Nepal at the conference. "The youth population in the country is on the rise and there is a need to pay attention to their reproductive health rights," said Dr. Aryal, adding that the Nepalese government was also discussing this issue at the policy level.

Although the research findings have indicated that schooling reduces the tendency among the youths and adolescents to engage in risky behaviors, there is a stark need to develop separate programs to reach those out of schools, said Dr. Thapa.

More than 130 participants from 16 countries, including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, USA, Vietnam and Taiwan participated in the conference, sponsored by the East-West Center and Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health, Taiwan.

"We decided to host this conference because we believed that the issues of youth need immediate attention and that the issues can be better dealt if we joined hands," said Dr. Hui-Sheng Lin, director at the Bureau of Health Promotion (BHP), Taiwan. According to him, the launch of sex education in his country has started delivering results. "Almost 90 percent of our male youths and 70 percent of our female youths are exposed to pornographic materials so it is essential that we provide them with correct messages and education."

Seventy-five experts on adolescent behavior, policy-makers, youth program managers and NGO and government representatives were present in the conference.

Nepalese youth : Are they aware of risks ?

Nearly a dozen research briefs on the youth issues of several countries were presented and extensively discussed at the conference. "The idea was to bring people from research fields, policy-making and media together to discuss the issues of risk-taking among Asian youths," Dr. Charles Morrison, Director of East West Center said highlighting the significance of the conference.

The Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) sponsored the participation of journalists from five countries, including Nepal, at the conference. "We are concerned about the population issues worldwide -- including the burgeoning youth population and subsequent challenges. We hope that the proper coverage by media would go a long way in addressing some of the issues," said Mark Sherman of the PRB.

The conference concluded that there was a need for more extensive networking among the concerned agencies from different countries to deal with the issues more effectively in the days to come.

Some Findings from the AYAR Project

By risk-taking, behaviors such as smoking, drinking, drug-use and premarital sex are included. These behaviors are known to be associated with adverse health consequences as well as undesirable social and economic consequences

1. Risk-taking is common among Asian youth

Percentage of 15-19 year olds who ever smoked, drank or used drug

MaleFemale

Philippines 66% 31%

Thailand 73% 42%

Indonesia 76% 7%

2. Most risk-taking behavior is initiated between ages 15 and 25

3. Larger gender differences exist in the prevalence of smoking, drinking and drug-use

Male:Female ratios of smoking prevalence among 15-19 year olds

Indonesia 38:1

Thailand 17:1

Philippines 9:1

Taiwan 6:1

Nepal 3:1

4. The prevalence of premarital sex among male youth is high in societies where age at marriage is high like Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines. The prevalence of premarital sex among female youth is low even in societies where age at marriage is high except in Taiwan where the age at marriage is very late.

5. The prevalence of condom use is surprisingly low among sexually active unmarried youth in Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan. Only 30 percent of the sexually active single Filipino male age 15-24 used any contraceptive method at the most recent sexual intercourse, and only nine percent used condoms. Withdrawal was the most common contraceptive method used by sexually active single men in the Philippines.

6. Who are more likely to take risks?

Youth with parents who have permissive attitudes on risk-taking

Youth with close friends who are taking risks

Youth who have left school

Youth who have left parental home

Youth who have own income

Married youth

7. Who are less likely to take risks?

Youth who have close relationships with parents

Youth who are very religious

Youth who plan to have college education

(Compiled by Minja Kim Choe, senior fellow at East-West Center, Hawaii)