A peer-driven PSA creation workshop approach in Kenya successfully produced nine sexual and reproductive health PSAs conceived, developed, and completed by adolescents themselves, demonstrating a low-cost, replicable model for adolescent health communication.
Key Findings
Results
The Maneno Yetu study produced nine PSAs focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health topics through a fully peer-driven workshop process.
PSA topics included family planning, substance abuse, peer pressure, HIV and sexually transmitted infections prevention, and sexual assault.
The PSA creation process was peer-driven 'from ideation to production,' distinguishing it from conventional approaches where external media companies create the final product.
The study was conducted in Kenya, partnering with adolescents in local communities.
The approach centered on 'topics and messaging relevant to adolescents in the communities we were partnering with.'
Results
Workshop participants reported positive experiences learning filmmaking and storytelling skills and valued contributing to a project with potential community impact.
Participants 'enjoyed learning about storytelling and filmmaking.'
Participants 'appreciated participating in a project that could have a beneficial impact on their peers.'
The workshops provided adolescents with both media production skills and a platform for health advocacy.
Conclusions
The peer-led PSA creation approach was identified as low-cost and feasible for resource-limited settings.
The authors noted the PSAs were 'low-cost, making the approach accessible to adolescents outside of the framework of a study in resource-limited settings.'
The approach is described as applicable beyond the formal study context, suggesting scalability without significant funding infrastructure.
The study specifically aimed to fill gaps in published descriptions of peer-led programming methods.
Background
Existing PSA development practices typically exclude adolescents from the creation process, relegating them to focus group participation only.
The authors noted that conventionally 'focus groups are conducted with adolescents to elicit ideas and topics, but the PSAs themselves are created by external media companies.'
Few published studies describe the methods of their peer-led programming, representing a gap this study aimed to address.
The Maneno Yetu approach was designed specifically to contrast with this norm by involving adolescents 'from conception to completion.'
Conclusions
The peer-led PSA creation model is proposed as transferable to other public health interventions targeting adolescents.
The authors state the approach 'can be applied toward other public health interventions to generate messaging that resonates with adolescents.'
The approach provided 'a communication channel to convey important SRH information tailored to the needs of adolescents in the community.'
The detailed description of workshop methods was explicitly intended to enable replication by others, addressing the noted gap in published peer-led programming methodology.
What This Means
This research describes a study called Maneno Yetu conducted in Kenya, where adolescents were given the tools and training to create their own public service announcements (PSAs) about sexual and reproductive health. Unlike typical health communication campaigns where adults or media professionals create content based on brief input from young people, this project put adolescents in charge of every step — from choosing the topics to writing scripts to producing the final videos. The result was nine PSAs covering issues like HIV prevention, family planning, substance abuse, peer pressure, and sexual assault.
The young participants responded positively to the experience, reporting that they enjoyed learning filmmaking and storytelling skills and felt good about creating something that could help their peers. The researchers emphasize that the entire process was kept low-cost, making it potentially replicable in other communities with limited resources, even outside of a formal research setting. The paper also provides detailed descriptions of the workshop methods, which the authors note is rare in published research on peer-led health programs.
This research suggests that giving adolescents genuine creative control over health messaging — rather than just consulting them — may be a practical and effective way to produce content that truly resonates with young audiences. The model could potentially be adapted for other public health topics beyond sexual and reproductive health, offering communities in resource-limited settings an accessible tool for youth-centered health communication.
Miller L, Odhiambo H, Amboka S, Otieno B, Kadede K, Oketch P, et al.. (2025). Peer-led public service announcement creation workshops for adolescent sexual and reproductive health education in Kenya.. Health promotion international. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf035