Accelerators to reduce violence, HIV risk, and early pregnancy among adolescents and young people in Namibia: A cross-sectional analysis of the Violence Against Children & Youth Survey

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004633
• Publication Date: 2025-05-20T17:42:58Z
• Authors: Madison T. Little; Lucas Hertzog; William E. Rudgard; Elona Toska; Boladé Banougnin; Rachel Yates; David Chipanta; Francis B. Annor; Laura Chiang; Lucie Cluver
• Keywords: Victimisation; Transactional sex; Sexual Violence

Our study applied the INSPIRE Framework – WHO’s 2016 technical package of evidence-based interventions for addressing violence against children to identify accelerators youth in Namibia. Accelerators are protective factors that contribute toward achieving multiple SDG targets. Using nationally representative data from 2019 Namibia Violence Against Children & Youth Survey (n = 5167), three hypothesised (food security, parental support, and gender-equitable attitudes) were investigated their impact on 12 adolescent outcomes. Associations between outcomes assessed using multivariable logistic regressions, adjusted probabilities, differences, ratios. Among girls, food attitudes, support accelerators, being associated with lower odds 8, 6, 2 outcomes, respectively. When all present, combination was significantly 10 out including >75% prevalences child marriage; > 50% abuse, sexual victimisation, early debut/early pregnancy, peer victimisation; >25% intimate partner (IPV) not school or paid work, mental health distress, inconsistent condom use, age-disparate transactional sex. boys, attitudes an accelerator 7 approximately sex, IPV partners, use. Adolescents (especially girls) access provisions experience rates HIV-related risks. Implementing these priority could accelerate progress SDGs adolescents young people