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Social and Economic Characteristics of Street Youth by Gender and Level of Street Involvement in Eldoret, Kenya
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 5, p e97587 (2014)
- Publication Year :
- 2014
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science, 2014.
-
Abstract
- Background Street-connected youth are a neglected and vulnerable population, particularly in resource-constrained settings. The development of interventions and supports for this population requires insight into how they live. This study describes the social and economic characteristics of a convenience sample of street youth (SY) in Eldoret, Kenya. Methods Participants were eligible if they were aged 12–21, living in Eldoret, spending days only (part-time), or nights and days on the street (full-time) and able and willing to consent or assent. Data were collected using a standardized interview conducted in English or Kiswahili. Binary dependent variables were having been arrested and/or jailed, and first priority for spending money (food vs. other). Nominal categorical dependent variables included major source of support, and major reason for being street-involved. Multivariable analysis used logistic regression models to examine the association of gender and level of street-involvement with social and economic factors of interest adjusting for age and length of time on the street. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.3. Results Of the 200 SY enrolled, 41% were female, mean age of 16.3 years; 71% were on the street full-time, and 29% part-time. Compared with part-time SY, full-time SY were more likely to have been arrested (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 2.33, 95% Confidence Interval [95%CI]:1.01–5.35), name food as their first spending priority (AOR: 2.57, 95%CI:1.03–6.45), have left home due to violence (AOR: 5.54, 95%CI: 1.67–18.34), and more likely to report friends on the street as a major source of support (AOR: 3.59, 95% CI: 1.01–12.82). Compared with females, males were more likely to have ever been arrested (AOR: 2.66, 95%CI:1.14–6.18), and to have ever been jailed (AOR: 3.22, 95%CI:1.47–7.02). Conclusions These results suggest a high degree of heterogeneity and vulnerability among SY in this setting. There is an urgent need for interventions taking into consideration these characteristics.
- Subjects :
- Gerontology
Male
Epidemiology
Psychological intervention
lcsh:Medicine
Social Sciences
Criminology
Social Policy
Logistic regression
Homeless Youth
Sociology
Risk Factors
Medicine and Health Sciences
Odds Ratio
Medicine
lcsh:Science
Child
Substance Abuse, Intravenous
education.field_of_study
Multidisciplinary
Social Research
Social Discrimination
Research Design
Female
Crime
Research Article
Adolescent
Clinical Research Design
Gender Discrimination
Population
Convenience sample
Violence
Research and Analysis Methods
Sexual and Gender Issues
Young Adult
Risk-Taking
Humans
Cities
education
Delinquency
business.industry
lcsh:R
Mean age
Odds ratio
Kenya
Confidence interval
Social Mobility
Social Epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Logistic Models
Socioeconomic Factors
Adolescent Behavior
Structured interview
lcsh:Q
business
Demography
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 9
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....7c3c2bb8312b2aa5530c97b2454e4755