This document describes the key issues that leave Ugandan youth particularly vulnerable to negative health outcomes, particularly, HIV, STIs and early pregnancy. In doing so, it will form the basis for effective communication strategies designed to mitigate these problems. Key amongst these issues are the risks youth face that encourage them to engage in sexual activity early; their own perception of their risk for HIV, STI infection and early pregnancy; social norms and values that limit access to services and information; the impact of gender in sexual relations and social expectations; and the relationship between education and vulnerability. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive. While it will briefly summarize some of the more well-known issues of youth vulnerability, it will also introduce some of the less explored dynamics of sexual relationships, gender relations and social expectations that influence and involve young people. The document references numerous qualitative and quantitative studies of adolescent sexual and reproductive health conducted between 2000-2003. The studies referenced are those that were conducted as either formative research for reproductive health interventions, government based research, or population-based studies by research institutions.
