TeenWeb: Using the Web to Survey and Inform Urban Adolescents about Health in Nairobi and Mexico City

Carolyn Tucker Halpern, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Janie Benson, Ipas
Ellen M.H. Mitchell, Ipas
Jan Hendrickson-Smith, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sherry Farr, Ipas
Sarah Onyango, Ipas
Phil Bardsley, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Loren Watterson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nancy Smith, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Worldwide there are 2 billion persons between the ages of 10 and 19. Many urban youth are vulnerable to a range of health problems. Ideal measurement of their development requires longitudinal designs, but these are prohibitively expensive in developing countries. Electronic connectivity with adolescents offers opportunities to investigate development prospectively and dynamically, yet presents multiple hurdles regarding local infrastructure and target population characteristics. This paper reports progress on TeenWeb, a collaborative project with four goals: 1) conduct a school-based, longitudinal research study on the reproductive health of urban adolescents in Mexico City and Nairobi; 2) test the feasibility of the Web as a mechanism for repeated measurements; 3) assess the utility of the Web to disseminate information to adolescents; and 4) disseminate information about adolescent health needs that informs public health policy and practice. The paper describes scientific and ethical considerations, and logistical challenges in project design and implementation.