JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Adolescents need comprehensive education and resources to promote their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and make informed decisions about their SRH. However, many adolescents fail to secure an opportunity to learn accurate and reliable SRH information, as they face socio-cultural barriers, fear of prejudice, and societal stigma. Information available on digital platforms may not always be evidence-based and can further spread misinformation. Digital knowledge translation (KT) interventions that provide evidence-based SRH information in North America are limited.

Objective:

Therefore, we aimed to co-design a digital KT intervention - reflective of adolescents' voices - to provide evidence-based, accessible, and accurate SRH resources.

Methods:

We conducted a large multi-site project across three cities in Canada. Using a community-based participatory approach and principles of human-centred design, we established adolescent advisory groups (AAG) to actively engage them in the design, development, and implementation of the intervention.

Results:

AAGs participated in regular sessions to identify informational needs for content development, provide iterative feedback on the design of the intervention, and suggest strategies to improve engagement and interaction. To promote meaningful engagement of AAGs at each step, we employed strategies such as gamification activities, group discussions, and flexible scheduling to get maximum participation from each member.

Conclusions:

Our process emphasizes the significance of involving adolescents in co-designing SRH interventions, which results in more meaningful, sustainable, and youth-friendly solutions. Clinical Trial: N/A