Empowering Young People

By Maggie Simpson, Grassby R, Chesser A, Zou K, Theobald A, Burrows M, Merchant A, Ehamparam S, Santer M, King H, Jack M, Townsend O, Duncan C

EMS300 Student Conference 2026

Slide 1: Empowering young people. A full description follows.

Summary

The presentation evaluates the effectiveness of peer-led reproductive health education for students aged 15–17 in Edinburgh. It highlights a gap in traditional education, where topics like fertility and menstrual health are often overlooked. The pilot study involved seven sessions, showing a significant increase in students' confidence in seeking reproductive health advice, from 45.5% to 77.8%. While the results are promising, the study calls for larger-scale testing to assess long-term knowledge retention and help-seeking behaviour. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive reproductive health education for young people.