Submission ID 131744
| Issue/Objective | Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) plays a vital role in adolescent-focused health systems, helping to lower health risks, enhance well-being, and support healthy development. In Ghana, significant strides have been achieved in delivering Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) education, supported by policies such as the Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy. Despite these efforts, conservative leaders have strongly opposed introducing CSE, resulting in an incomplete curriculum. This resistance hinders the implementation of evidence based CSE in schools and perpetuates misconceptions, creating divides between health and education system policy and practice, and underscores the urgent need to standardize and normalize CSE implementation. To advance CSE that pushes the political boundaries surrounding SRH and upholds young people's health rights, establishing a cross-partnership between health and education systems-modelling a learning health system-is essential. |
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| Methodology/Approach | The Catalyst project (2025-2027) is an implementation research initiative that creates feedback loops, encourages ongoing learning, and enables real-time system adjustments. It brings together diverse stakeholders to explore barriers teachers encounter in delivering CSE in the Upper East Region of Ghana and co-develops evidence-based teaching methods for effective CSE delivery. Ghanaian and Canadian health system researchers, educators, local decision-makers and learners collaboratively generate and mobilize evidence on the implementation of gender-transformative CSE. This initiative models an inclusive, multi-sectoral approach to strengthening health system learning and responsiveness and upholding adolescents' SRHR. |
| Results | At the project midpoint, key learnings include: 1) Investing time to develop a shared understanding of concepts such as 'co-design' or 'knowledge mobilisation' to enable buy-in and clarity of purpose among diverse actors; 2) Working across sectors, geographic locations and age cohorts requires flexibility and recognition that there is no one size fits all convening platform that will work for all parties. 3) Frequent iterative learning cycles enables classroom data, teacher experiences, and adolescent feedback to quickly inform the co-design of teaching tools and engagement strategies, enabling real-time adaptation and improving inclusivity and feasibility of tools and guidelines. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | By establishing a robust evidence base for effective CSE education strategies that integrate a learning health system approach, the study's results can guide policymakers and public health educators in making well-informed decisions to enhance CSE quality and impact. This model demonstrates an approach to facilitate evidence-based decision-making processes within education and health systems, upholding adolescent's SRHR. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Rachel Pell Right To Play International Catherine Liao University of Fraser Valley Lydia Aziato University of Health Allied Sciences Josephine Mukakalisa Right To Play International Theresa Oppong-Mensah Ghana Education Service |
