A final report from the three-year Our Youth, Our Response (OYOR) study concludes that HIV and hepatitis C (hep C) prevention initiatives for youth need our collaborative efforts more now than ever.

Greg Harris, associate professor in the Faculty of Education, is a co-investigator for this project and was the lead in Newfoundland and Labrador. He worked closely with Zack Marshall, a PhD candidate and CIHR fellow in Memorial’s’ Division of Community Health and Humanities, and Maryanne Tucker, a recent graduate of the master's of education in counselling psychology program at Memorial. Pam Hudson, who is now a medical student at Memorial, previously lived in Prince Edward Island and was involved with the OYOR study as a research assistant for two years and also as co-ordinator of the youth advisory committee for one year.

“We know that youth continue to be at risk for HIV and hepatitis C virus infection,” said Dr. Harris. “Policy plays an important role in driving prevention efforts across sectors where youth spend time. This project focused on understanding such primary and secondary prevention policies aimed at youth across Atlantic Canada in various sectors such as education, health care and community settings. This knowledge is absolutely critical when contemplating evidence-based policy and programming reform.”

Youth-focused HIV and hep C prevention gaps often stem from a lack of policies that address their needs, few accessible services and negative attitudes regarding youth sexuality and harm reduction. Youth-serving organizations and HIV and hep C prevention programs also face challenges such as limited funding as well as how to meet the needs of youth outside urban centres.

Mr. Marshall says key informants from Newfoundland and Labrador demonstrated the important work that is going on in the province and provided examples of innovation for Nova Scotia and other parts of the region.

“Looking at the data overall, there were five key recommendations: enhance inter-organizational and intersectoral collaboration; engage young people in the development and implementation of HIV and hepatitis c virus prevention policies and programs in ways that are meaningful and age appropriate; increase access to different types of anonymous HIV testing, including options for rapid testing; reduce the stigma associated with harm reduction by educating the public, teachers and policy makers and increasing HIV and hepatitis C education and prevention messaging for youth, parents and providers."

The study, funded by the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, grew out of a need to reinvigorate HIV and hep C prevention for youth across the Atlantic region. The aim of this study was to examine the policies and programs that sought to promote HIV and hep C prevention in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. Findings from OYOR offer key recommendations for policy decision-makers, health-care practitioners, and HIV and hep C prevention organizations. These recommendations are summarized in the OYOR final report, which was released Dec. 1 in recognition of World AIDS Day. It is available through the Gender and Health Promotion Studies Unite website at http://dal.ca/gahps.