Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan presented the results of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) Survey, conducted among the secondary school students with support of the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund.

 

 “The results of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children Survey will further define the steps for improving the health and well-being of adolescents in Turkmenistan,” said Mr. Muhammet Ergeshov, Head of the Treatment and Prophylactics Department of the Ministry, in his welcoming statement. Mr. Ergeshov thanked the UNFPA for the long history of strategic and productive relations in the area of data collection analysis for improving women and young people’s reproductive health and rights.  The success of the HBSC survey is one of the examples of the partnership.

In her opening statement, Ms. Bayramgul Garabayeva, UNFPA Assistant Representative, thanked the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry for their commitment to invest in youth.  Ms. Garabayeva quoted the UNFPA Report 2014, which states that the countries with a large percentage of young people can achieve a sharp increase in economic growth if heavily invest in education, healthcare and protecting the rights of young people.  Turkmen youth between 10-25 years of age make up nearly thirty percent of the country’s population, and “with the right policy and investments, these young people can become a moving force for the further socio-economic development of Turkmenistan,” stated Ms. Garabayeva.   

Turkmenistan is the first country in the Central Asian region to conduct the survey with the World Health Organization (WHO)-approved methodology.  The results of the survey were already used in development of the National Strategy on mothers, children and adolescents health for the period of 2015 – 2019, developed with support of UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO.  The national strategy for the first time puts adolescents as a separate priority and envisages expanding the access of young people to youth-friendly services and information on adolescent reproductive health.

Ms. Bahar Agayeva, Head of the Medical Statistics Department of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, gave an overview of the HBSC survey.  In her presentation, she quoted the definition of “health” as given by the WHO, where it is not a mere absence of disease, but a state of physical, social and emotional well-being.  “According to the WHO data, when examining at a person’s health - 20 percent depends on external factors; 20 percent – on biological or genetic factors; 10 percent – on quality of healthcare; and overwhelming 50 percent – on factors related to a person’s health behavior,” noted Ms. Agayeva.  “This is the reason why there is a growing importance worldwide of studying the adolescent’s behavior and addressing their specific needs.” 

In Turkmenistan, the HBSC survey was conducted in Ashgabat city, Mary and Dashoguz velayats.  The objective of the survey was to identify basic behavioral characteristics concerning health issues, state of health and knowledge of 13, 15 and 17-year old adolescents of Turkmenistan.  The survey was conducted using the methodology of anonymous questioning of the adolescent representative target group of Turkmenistan. 

Key findings and recommendations of the HBSC Survey were presented by Ms. Gulya Gandymova, Chief pediatrician of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry.  Ms. Gandymova noted that while Turkmenistan has achieved much within the framework of the Health Programme, which has recently celebrated its 20 year anniversary, she stated that the remaining gaps will be addressed within the framework of the new Health Programme and National Strategy on adolescent’s health.  Therefore, further steps in dissemination of the results within a framework of the inter-sectoral cooperation were discussed at the end of the meeting. 

The Health Behavior in School-aged Children survey is an international study and today it is conducted in more than 43 countries.  Successfully carried out in different part of Turkmenistan, the survey data can be used for cross-country comparative analysis and research.

UNFPA is one of the world’s largest funders of population data collection. UNFPA works with policymakers to help identify, understand and use population trends in policy decision-making and national development planning. 

Read full Report: 

English, Russian, Turkmen

UNFPA: Delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

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For additional information, please contact:

Ene Tuyliyeva, Advocacy Communication Associate

 tuyliyeva@unfpa.org

Tel: 425250

Web: unfpa.org.tm, www.untuk.org