Bridging the gap between the youth clinics and young men. How do we attract more boys and young men to youth clinics in Sweden?

Research problem and specific questionsBoys and young men (BYM) have higher prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases compared to girls and young women and in principle they should bear the same responsibility for protection against unwanted pregnancies and other reproductive health issues.

Despite that, only around 10 to 15% of the visitors of youth clinics, which are the primary provider of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for young people in Sweden, are BYM.This study aims to identify effective and feasible strategies to increase BYM’s access to youth clinics in Sweden by raising the following research questions:What do we know?

What interventions to increase BYM’s access to SRH services has been evaluated in Europe?What has been tried in Sweden? What strategies are used to attract BYM to youth clinics in Sweden?Why status quo? What individual and structural factors hinder or facilitate BYM’s access to youth clinics in Sweden?What can be done?

Which strategies are more effective and feasible to improve the access of BYM to youth clinics in Sweden?Data and methodThe four research questions will be answered using the following methods respectively:Scoping literature review to map the interventions and their effects on BYM’s access to SRH services.Explorative survey and follow up telephone interviews to youth clinics in Sweden to explore their strategies to attract BYM.

Document review of regional and national strategies about BYM’s access to SRH services in general and youth clinics.Multiple case studies approach to study youth clinics in two regions in Sweden that vary in their rurality, sociodemographic features, and their healthcare organization.Q-sorting where representatives of; youth organizations; and healthcare providers and policy makers evaluate the different strategies identified in stage 1 and 2 in terms of feasibility and effectiveness.Societal relevance and utilisationThis proposed research will generate new knowledge, inform policy makers, and aid the implementation of strategies to increase BYM access to youth clinics.

This will ultimately improve their SRH, encourage them to have equal shared responsibilities of SRH and increase gender equality.Plan for project realisationThe project will be implemented over three years and the funding will support 80% of my and 50% of a project assistant´s salaries along with other project costs.