Health and Social Dynamics of Street-Connected Youth

Street-connected youth are a diverse group who rely on urban public spaces as their primary environment for living and working, often lacking stable shelter or family support. They experience intersecting health challenges including infectious diseases, mental health disorders, substance use and exposure to violence, all exacerbated by stigma and limited access to services. Social dynamics on the street shape survival strategies and peer networks, influencing risk behaviours and resilience. Structural factors—poverty, migration, family breakdown, conflict and inadequate social protection—drive young people to the streets and impede reintegration. Emerging research emphasises holistic interventions that combine biomedical tools, psychosocial support, shelter provision and community engagement to address both health outcomes and the broader social determinants of well-being for these young people.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Health and Social Dynamics of Street-Connected Youth publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in health and social dynamics of street-connected youth across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Street-connected youth: Young people who spend a significant amount of time living or working on the streets and who maintain varying degrees of attachment to family or community networks.

HIV prevention–care continuum: The sequence of interventions from HIV testing and prevention through to treatment initiation and retention in care.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): A biomedical prevention strategy in which HIV-negative individuals take antiretroviral drugs to reduce the risk of HIV infection.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART): The use of pharmaceutical drugs to treat HIV infection, aiming to suppress viral replication and restore immune function.

Cross-sectional study: An observational research design that analyses data from a population at a specific point in time to assess prevalence and associations.

References

1. “If they had a place to live, they would be taking medication”: a qualitative study identifying strategies for engaging street‐connected young people in the HIV prevention‐care continuum in Kenya. Journal of the International AIDS Society (2023).
2. Street adolescents in low income setting exposed to hepatitis B and C, and disadvantaged by lifestyle: a Togolese cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health (2024).
3. Street Children in Iran: What Are Their Living and Working Conditions? Findings from a Survey in Six Major Cities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).