Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in developing
countries: an overview of trends and interventions.Today there
are more than one billion 10-19 year olds, (1) 70% of whom live
in developing nations. (2) They are growing up in circumstances
quite different from those of their parents, with greater access
to formal education, increasing need for such technological
skills as computer and internet literacy, different job
opportunities, and more exposure to new ideas through media,
telecommunications and other avenues. (2) The environment in
which young people are making decisions related to sexual and
reproductive health is also rapidly evolving. Rates of sexual
initiation during young adulthood are rising or remaining
unchanged in many developing countries, (3), (4) childbearing
and marriage are increasingly unlinked, (5) and in many
countries, high HIV prevalence adds to the risks associated with
early sexual activity. (6), (7) For example, in all but a few
countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS is a gene