Pre-pandemic Influences on Kenyan Girls’ Transitions to Adulthood during COVID-19

in Girlhood Studies
Author:
Meghan Bellerose Dept. of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA meb2308@cumc.columbia.edu

Search for other papers by Meghan Bellerose in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2281-8957
,
Maryama Diaw Dept. of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA md3848@cumc.columbia.edu

Search for other papers by Maryama Diaw in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-96750-758X
,
Jessie Pinchoff Population Council USA jpinchoff@popcouncil.org

Search for other papers by Jessie Pinchoff in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3155-595X
,
Beth Kangwana Population Council Kenya bkangwana@popcouncil.org

Search for other papers by Beth Kangwana in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3013-2851
, and
Karen Austrian Population Council Kenya kaustrian@popcouncil.org

Search for other papers by Karen Austrian in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5464-7908
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2020.130310
Keywords:
food insecurity; gender-based violence; health outcomes; mitigation response; slum residents; urban informal settlements
Restricted access
USD  $22.00
Click here to view the full Terms and Conditions

All currencies in US Dollar

PayPal Logo

Abstract

COVID-19 containment measures have left adolescent girls in Nairobi, Kenya vulnerable to negative educational, economic, and secondary health outcomes that threaten their safe transitions into adulthood. In June 2020, the Population Council conducted phone-based surveys with 856 girls aged between 10 and 19 in 5 informal settlements who had been surveyed prior to COVID-19 as part of five longitudinal studies. We performed bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses to assess the relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and potential protective or risk factors. We found that younger girls are experiencing high levels of food insecurity and difficulty learning from home during school closures, while many older girls face the immediate risk of dropping out of school permanently and have been forgoing needed health services.

Contributor Notes

Meghan Bellerose (ORCID: 0000-0003-2281-8957) is an MPH student at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in the Department of Population and Family Health. Email: meb2308@cumc.columbia.edu

Maryama Diaw (ORCID: 0000-0002-9675-758X) is an MPH student at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in the Department of Population and Family Health. Email: md3848@cumc.columbia.edu

Jessie Pinchoff (ORCID: 0000-0003-3155-595X) is an Associate researcher at Population Council USA in the Poverty, Gender, and Youth program with the population, environmental risks and climate change (PERCC) initiative. Email: jpinchoff@popcouncil.org

Beth Kangwana (ORCID: 0000-0002-3013-2851) is a Senior Programme Officer at Population Council Kenya. She has conducted impact evaluations to understand how interventions can improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Email: bkangwana@popcouncil.org

Karen Austrian (ORCID: 0000-0001-5464-7908) is a Senior Associate at Population Council Kenya who has led several longitudinal, randomized trials evaluating the social, health, and economic effects of adolescent programs in East and Southern Africa. Email: kaustrian@popcouncil.org

  • Collapse
  • Expand

Girlhood Studies

An Interdisciplinary Journal

Cover Girlhood Studies
Article Category:
Research Article
Page Count:
18
Keywords:
food insecurity; gender-based violence; health outcomes; mitigation response; slum residents; urban informal settlements
Print Publication Date:
01 Dec 2020
Online Publication Date:
01 Dec 2020
Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020

  • Austrian, Karen, Eunice Muthengi, Joyce Mumah, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Caroline W Kabiru, Benta Abuya, and John A Maluccio. 2016. “The Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya (AGI-K): Study Protocol.” BMC Public Health 16 (1): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-2888-1

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Austrian, Karen, Jessie Pinchoff, James B Tidwell, Corinne White, Timothy Abuya, Beth Kangwana … and Faith Mbushi. 2020. “COVID-19 Related Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Needs of Households in Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya.” The Lancet Pre-Print. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3576785.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Austrian, Karen, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Jere R Behrman, Jean Digitale, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Maximillian Bweupe, and Paul C Hewett. 2020. “The Impact of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) on Short and Long Term Social, Economic, Education and Fertility Outcomes: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Zambia.” BMC Public Health 20 (1): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08468-0

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Beguy, Donatien, Alex C Ezeh, Blessing U Mberu, and Jacques BO Emina. 2017. “Changes in Use of Family Planning among the Urban Poor: Evidence from Nairobi Slums.” Population and Development Review 43: 216–234. https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12038.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Beguy, Donatien, Robert Ndugwa, and Caroline W Kabiru. 2013. “Entry into Motherhood among Adolescent Girls in Two Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya.” Journal of Biosocial Science 45 (6): 721–742. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0021932013000199

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Benight, Charles C., and Albert Bandura. 2004. “Social Cognitive Theory of Posttraumatic Recovery: The Role of Perceived Self-efficacy.” Behaviour Research and Therapy 42 (10): 1129–1148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2003.08.008

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Chen, Gilad, Stanley M Gully, and Dov Eden. 2001. “Validation of a New General Self-efficacy Scale.” Organizational Research Methods 4 (1): 62–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442810141004

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Corburn, Jason, David Vlahov, Blessing Mberu, Lee Riley, Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa, Sabina Faiz Rashid … and Eliana Martínez-Herrera. 2020. “Slum Health: Arresting COVID-19 and Improving Well-being in Urban Informal Settlements.” Journal of Urban Health 97: 348–357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-020-00438-6.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Igras, Susan M., Marjorie Macieira, Elaine Murphy, and Rebecka Lundgren. 2014. “Investing in Very Young Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health.” Global Public Health 9 (5): 555–569. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2014.908230

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Johnson, Katy, Lindsey Green, Muriel Volpellier, Suzanne Kidenda, Thomas McHale, Karen Naimer, and Ranit Mishori. 2020. “The Impact of COVID-19 on Services for People Affected by Sexual and Gender-based Violence.” International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 150 (3): 285–287. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.13285

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kabale, Nasibo. 2020. “Coronavirus: Kenya Takes Bold Steps After Cases Rise to Three.” The Nation, 24 March. https://nation.africa/kenya/news/coronavirus-kenya-takes-bold-steps-after-cases-rise-to-three-278692.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Loades, Maria Elizabeth, Eleanor Chatburn, Nina Higson-Sweeney, Shirley Reynolds, Roz Shafran, Amberly Brigden … and Esther Crawley. 2020. “Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19.” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.05.009 (Epub ahead of print)

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Masiga, Julie. 2020. “Domestic Violence on the Rise Amid Pandemic.” The Standard, 14 April. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/opinion/article/2001367916/domestic-violence-on-the-rise-amid-pandemic

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Mutisya, Maurice, Moses W Ngware, Caroline W Kabiru, and Ngianga-bakwin Kandala. 2016. “The Effect of Education on Household Food Security in Two Informal Urban Settlements in Kenya: A Longitudinal Analysis.” Food Security 8 (4): 743–756. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-016-0589-3

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Peterman, Amber, Amiya Bhatia, and Alessandra Guedes. 2020. “Remote Data Collection on Violence Against Women During COVID-19: A Conversation with Experts on Ethics, Measurement and Research Priorities (Part 1).” Washington DC: UNICEF.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Population Council. 2005. Building Assets for Safe and Productive Lives: A Report on a Workshop on Adolescent Girls’ Livelihoods. New York: Population Council.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Purdy, C. 2020. “Opinion: How Will COVID-19 Affect Global Access to Contraceptives—And what Can We Do about it?” https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/opinion-how-will-covid-19-affect-global-access-to-contraceptives-and-what-can-we-do-about-it-96745.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Quaife, Matthew, Kevin van Zandvoort, Amy Gimma, Kashvi Shah, Nicky McCreesh, Kiesha Prem, Edwine Barasa … and Karen Austrian. 2020. “The Impact of COVID-19 Control Measures on Social Contacts and Transmission in Kenyan Informal Settlements.” MedRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.06.20122689.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Risso-Gill, Isabelle. 2015. Children's Ebola Recovery Assessment: Sierra Leone. Freetown, Sierra Leone: Save the Children, Plan International, UNICEF, and World Vision.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Salon, Deborah, and Sumila Gulyani. 2010. “Mobility, Poverty, and Gender: Travel ‘Choices’ of Slum Residents in Nairobi, Kenya.” Transport Reviews 30 (5): 641–657. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441640903298998

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • The World Bank. 2020. COVID-19 Could Lead to Permanent Loss in Learning and Trillions of Dollars in Lost Earnings. 18 June. Washington: The World Bank.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wodon, Quentin, Chata Male, Ada Nayihouba, Adenike Onagoruwa, Aboudrahyme Savadogo, Ali Yedan … and Lydia Murithi. 2017. “Economic Impacts of Child Marriage: Global Synthesis Report.”

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 7080 4594 538
Full Text Views 1217 4 1
PDF Downloads 686 6 0