By Brittany Iskarpatyoti
Imagine a health program designed not just for girls, but by them — a program that reflects girls’ unique concerns, ideas, and aspirations. This isn’t just a vision; it’s a critical call to action. When girls are at the center of designing the programs that impact their lives, health interventions are more effective and meaningful, delivering better results and greater impact.
Navigating a Critical Transition
During ages 10–14, girls undergo a critical transition as they shift from childhood toward older adolescence and adulthood. They are building their own identities, forming attitudes, values, and behaviors, and defining their own vision for their futures. Yet, health systems have left them in a sort of limbo; they have aged out of routine child health programs, but they have not yet reached the age for more mature sexual and reproductive health programs.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs have the potential to bridge this gap, providing an opportunity for girls to establish a positive relationship with health services and helping initiate generational shifts away from gender norms that perpetuate inequities.
Establishing a Healthy Relationship with Health
For many girls, the HPV vaccine might be their first significant interaction with the health system since childhood. Unlike childhood vaccination, which are mostly managed by caregivers, HPV vaccines are administered when girls are more aware of and engaged with what’s happening to their bodies. Simply using the same vaccination methods designed for young children can leave adolescent girls feeling alienated and hesitant.
At this crucial stage, a positive experience with thoughtful health services can set girls on a path toward adopting positive, health-seeking behaviors. Early positive interactions can have a big impact, influencing girls’ future-health seeking behavior and the way they manage not only their own health, but also their families’ as they grow into women and have children of their own.
Challenging Unequal Gender Norms
By involving girls in designing these programs, we are not just making them more relevant, we are giving them a chance to take charge and make their voices heard. Engaging in the design process can build confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of agency that extends far beyond the health realm.
Adolescence is a crucial time when girls start to form their own ideas about gender and societal expectations. Health programs can proactively integrate content specifically intended to challenge and transform unequal gender and power dynamics before they become entrenched. HPV vaccination programs offer more than just a shot — they offer an opportunity for broader social change.
What’s Next?
Reaching adolescent girls with vaccination or other health programs presents unique challenges. Their experiences are often underreported or misunderstood, and many proposed solutions are designed by others actors who may not fully grasp their realities. Girls’ insights into their own daily challenges, social pressures, and personal health needs are invaluable for creating solutions that truly meet their needs.
Involving girls directly in health program design isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s necessary for the creation of effective and meaningful interventions. When we involve girls in program design, we not only support them, we take a big step towards cervical cancer free generation.
