scholarly journals Assessing Current And Preferred Sources Of Information On Adolescents’ Sexual And Reproductive Health In Southeast Nigeria: Improving Adolescent Health Programming

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chibuike Innocent Agu ◽  
Chinyere Ojiugo Mbachu ◽  
Ifunanya Clara Agu ◽  
Chinyere Okeke ◽  
Uchenna Ezenwaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Health Programming

Abstract Background: Many adolescents lack appropriate information about their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Although there are numerous information on SRH, they vary in content and quality, and these have implications for the accuracy and appropriateness of SRH information adolescents can access. This study examined the sources of SRH information for adolescents, the value adolescents place on these sources and their significance for adolescent health programming.Method: This was a mixed methods, community-based, cross-sectional study that was conducted in six local government areas in Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Quantitative data were collected using pre-tested questionnaire that was administered to 1057 unmarried adolescents aged 13-18 years. The qualitative data were: Seventy-seven in-depth interviews (IDIs) with stakeholders; twelve (12) focus group discussions (FGDs) with adolescents; and six FGDs with village head. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed for quantitative data using Stata software while thematic framework approach was used to analyze qualitative data.Result: It was found that 60.5% and 39.8% of adolescents reported that school teachers and mothers respectively were their major sources of information about pubertal changes, while teachers (36.3%) and friends (29.8%) were the commonest sources of information on relationship with opposite sex. There were statistically significant associations between sources of information about relationships and age category (p≤0.09). Additional common sources of SRH information elicited through IDIs with adolescents include internet, social media and mass media. Although adolescents valued the information provided by teachers and parents, they preferred information on SRH from their friends/peers, social media and mass media because these sources are easy to access with a guarantee of some level of confidentiality. In the opinion of parents and other stakeholders, sources of appropriate SRH information for adolescents were health workers, teachers, parents and adult family members; whereas peers/friends and social media were considered as inappropriate sources of SRH information for adolescents.Conclusion: Efforts at addressing the need of adolescents for SRH information should be targeted at their valued and preferred sources, whilst maintaining a delicate balance with the choices and expectations of their parents and adult family members.

scholarly journals Youth clubs’ contributions towards promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Machinga District, Malawi

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adamson Muula ◽  
Alinafe C. Lusinje ◽  
Chetimila Phiri ◽  
Prisca Majawa
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Young People ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Aids Education ◽  
Study Participants

 Background: In Malawi more than 50% of the population are young people less than 24 years old. Adolescents and young people face a lot of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges such as unplanned and early pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV and AIDS and abusive intimate relationships. Provision of SRH services through Youth clubs is one strategy that has potential to contribute to addressing the SRH challenges. We conducted a study in Machinga district, southern Malawi to assess the contributions of youth clubs towards promotion of SRH services.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in 2014 among youths aged 15 – 24 years. The participants were drawn from Machinga boma and Liwonde Township. We used both quantitative and qualitative methods.  Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires, while Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key informant interviews were used to collect qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed by estimating proportions and Chi square tests while thematic content analysis was used for qualitative data.  The study was approved by University of Malawi’s College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee (COMREC).Results: Frequently offered services in youth clubs were HIV and AIDS education reported by 48.4% of the study participants, STI education (16.7%), family planning(16.7%) and life skills education (9.7%). On service utilisation there was no association between attendance to youth clubs and HIV Testing Counselling (χ2 =0.76, p=0.4) and there was no association between attendance to the youth clubs and family planning utilisation (χ2 =3.1, p=0.3). Condom use was the most used contraceptive method among the study participants. Misconception, accessibility and poor attitude of health workers were some of the factors reported as contributing to low utilisation of family planning methods. All youth club participants, reported  by 89 study participants and only 29.4% of club non-attendees had adequate SRH knowledge. The services  provided by health workers to youth clubs reported by study participants were HIV and AIDS education, HIV testing and counselling (HTC) and condom distribution.Conclusion: Our findings highlight the need of youth clubs to promote SRH services.Efforts should be made to ensure that the identified challenges are dealt with to ensure effective participation of youth clubs.

scholarly journals Are rhetorical commitments to adolescents reflected in planning documents? An exploratory content analysis of adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Global Financing Facility country plans

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asha S. George ◽  
Tanya Jacobs ◽  
Mary V. Kinney ◽  
Annie Haakenstad ◽  
Neha S. Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Teenage Pregnancy ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Project Appraisal ◽  
School Based

Abstract Background The Global Financing Facility (GFF) offers an opportunity to close the financing gap that holds back gains in women, children’s and adolescent health. However, very little work exists examining GFF practice, particularly for adolescent health. As momentum builds for the GFF, we examine initial GFF planning documents to inform future national and multi-lateral efforts to advance adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Methods We undertook a content analysis of the first 11 GFF Investment Cases and Project Appraisal Documents available on the GFF website. The countries involved include Bangladesh, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. Results While several country documents signal understanding and investment in adolescents as a strategic area, this is not consistent across all countries, nor between Investment Cases and Project Appraisal Documents. In both types of documents commitments weaken as one moves from programming content to indicators to investment. Important contributions include how teenage pregnancy is a universal concern, how adolescent and youth friendly health services and school-based programs are supported in several country documents, how gender is noted as a key social determinant critical for mainstreaming across the health system, alongside the importance of multi-sectoral collaboration, and the acknowledgement of adolescent rights. Weaknesses include the lack of comprehensive analysis of adolescent health needs, inconsistent investments in adolescent friendly health services and school based programs, missed opportunities in not supporting multi-component and multi-level initiatives to change gender norms involving adolescent boys in addition to adolescent girls, and neglect of governance approaches to broker effective multi-sectoral collaboration, community engagement and adolescent involvement. Conclusion There are important examples of how the GFF supports adolescents and their sexual and reproductive health. However, more can be done. While building on service delivery approaches more consistently, it must also fund initiatives that address the main social and systems drivers of adolescent health. This requires capacity building for the technical aspects of adolescent health, but also engaging politically to ensure that the right actors are convened to prioritize adolescent health in country plans and to ensure accountability in the GFF process itself.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Sexual and Reproductive Health Among Older Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zakaria ◽  
Junfang Xu ◽  
Farzana Karim ◽  
Subarna Mazumder ◽  
Feng Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices

Abstract Background: Improving the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of adolescent girls is one of the primary agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adequate and accurate knowledge, favorable attitude, safe behavior, and regular practice contribute to the adolescent girls’ SRH, maternal, and child health. In the background, this study aims to explore the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of SRH among college-going older adolescent girls in Chittagong district, Bangladesh. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in four colleges among the older adolescent girls age group of 16-17 (N = 792) attending a higher secondary grade in Chittagong district. Data were collected using a structured and self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analyses were used to summarize the SRH-related KAP and identify the associated factors, respectively. Results: 62% of study participants had the awareness that both physical and psychological changes occur in the adolescence period, while only 36% knew that menstruation is not a disease. Besides, only 30% of adolescent girls were informed about taking birth control has no adverse effect on the sexual relationship of a couple. Moreover, only 40% of students were learned that HIV could not be spread through the mosquito and flea, whereas only 25% knew that transmission of HIV is unlikely from an infected person’s coughing and sneezing. Of older adolescent girls, 35% disagreed perfectly whether sexual education can lead to more sexual activity. Besides, more or less 20% of participants opined that adolescent girls should refrain from going outside even to the school, entering into the kitchen, touching anyone, brushing hair, and see in the mirror. Moreover, 52% of adolescent girls wanted to learn more details about SRH, while 48% felt timid and afraid of their puberty changes. Besides, 62.5% of adolescent girls reported their using cloth during the menstrual cycle instead of the sanitary pad. Standardized coefficients beta (β) and p value < .05 in linear regression analyses explored that adolescent girls’ study of science, urban residence, reading or watching SRH contents on the mass media appeared as the more significant predictors for outcome variables. Conclusion: Many problems related to SRH exist among older adolescent girls in Bangladesh, such as behaviors and social constraints associated with menstruation, myths, and assumptions, recognition of the value of awareness and knowledge of reproductive health. Therefore, strengthening SRH-related comprehensive education programs incorporating into the curriculum, effective use of mass media, and supplying behavioral change communication materials are essential.

AM:STARs: International Health Issues in Adolescents, Vol. 20, No. 3

2005 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
International Health ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Adolescent Medicine ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Wide Range

Focusing on international health issues in adolescent medicine, this issue of Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews is a stand-alone reference and practice tool with evidence-based reviews that detail advances in the diagnosis and management of a wide range of health problems affecting adolescents. Topics in International Health Issues in Adolescents include "Adolescent Health in an International Context: The Challenge of Sexual and Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa," "Poverty and Inequity in Adolescent Health," "Obesity and Nutrition in Adolescents," "Adolescent Substance Abuse: An International Perspective," "Burden of Non-sexually Transmitted Infections on Adolescent Health and Development in the Developing World," "Addressing Ethical Dilemmas in the Clinical Care of Adolescents: An International View," "Children, Adolescents, and War: The Systematic Engagement of Youth in Collective Violence," "Chronic Illness and Disability in Adolescents: An International Perspective," "Culture and Youth Development," "A Global Perspective of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: Context Matters," and "The Mongolia Experience: Transitioning Within Transition."

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health

2018 ◽  
pp. 60-64
Author(s):  
Saiqa Mullick ◽  
Melanie Pleaner ◽  
Mopo Radebe ◽  
Chelsea Morroni
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Barriers To Access ◽  
Health Relevance ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
High Level

This chapter provides a high level overview of key sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues in adolescent health with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. The chapter begins by providing an overview of key targets and definitions relating to adolescent SRH and then goes on to describe the heterogenous nature of SRH needs of adolescents, highlighting their often overlapping and multiple needs as well as challenges and barriers to access. The chapter then provides a synopsis of selected SRH issues, including prevalence and public health relevance, as well as a summary of evidence-based interventions. The chapter ends with controversies and challenges, as well as recommendations for future areas for research. It should be read in conjunction with Chapter 31 on HIV in adolescents.

scholarly journals Sources of Information on HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health for Couples Living with HIV in Rural Southern Malawi

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Chimphamba Gombachika ◽  
Ellen Chirwa ◽  
Address Malata ◽  
Alfred Maluwa
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Comprehensive Information ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Living With Hiv

With wider access to antiretroviral therapy, people living with HIV are reconsidering their reproductive decisions: remarrying and having children. The purpose of the paper is to explore sources of information for reproductive decision used by couples living with HIV in patrilineal and matrilineal districts of Malawi. Data were collected from forty couples from July to December 2010. Our results illuminate five specific issues: some of the informants (1) remarry after divorce/death of a spouse, (2) establish new marriage relationship with spouses living with HIV, and (3) have children hence the need for information to base their decisions. There are (4) shared and interactive couple decisions, and (5) informal networks of people living with HIV are the main sources of information. In addition, in matrilineal community, cultural practices about remarriage set up structures that constrained information availability unlike in patrilineal community where information on sexual and reproductive health, HIV, and AIDS was disseminated during remarriage counselling. However, both sources are not able to provide comprehensive information due to complexity and lack of up to date information. Therefore, health workers should, offer people living with HIV comprehensive information that takes into consideration the cultural specificity of groups, and empower already existing and accepted local structures with sexual and reproductive health, HIV, and AIDS knowledge.

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