Sexual and reproductive health services use among adolescents in pastoralist settings, northeastern Ethiopia.
BMC Health Serv Res
; 23(1): 677, 2023 Jun 22.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37349790
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Adolescents have special sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) needs and are susceptible to poor health outcomes. The global burden of ill sexual health includes a significant proportion of Adolescents. The existing ASRH services in Ethiopia and particularly in the Afar region are currently not well suited to meet the needs of pastoralist adolescents. This study assesses the level of ASRH service utilization among pastoralists in Afar regional state, Ethiopia.METHOD:
A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2021 in four randomly chosen pastoralist villages or kebeles of Afar, Ethiopia. A multistage cluster sampling procedure was used to select 766 volunteer adolescents aged 10-19. SRH services uptake was measured asking whether they had used any SRH service components during the last year. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews with a structured questionnaire; data entry was done with Epi info 3.5.1. Logistic regression analyses was used to assess associations with SRH service uptake. SPSS version 23 statistical software package was used for advanced logistic regression analyses to assess the associations between dependent and predictor variables.RESULTS:
The study revealed that two-thirds or 513 (67%) of the respondents are aware of ASRH services. However, only one-fourth (24.5%) of the enrolled adolescents used at least one ASRH service in the past twelve months. ASRH services utilization was significantly associated with gender (being female [AOR = 1.87 (CI 1.29-2.70)], being in school [AOR = 2.38(CI 1.05-5.41), better family income [AOR = 10.92 (CI; 7.10-16.80)], prior discussions of ASRH issues [AOR = 4.53(CI 2.52, 8.16)], prior sexual exposure [AOR = 4.75(CI 1.35-16.70)], and being aware of ASRH services [AOR = 1.96 (CI 1.02-3.822)]. Being pastoralist, religious and cultural restrictions, fear of it becoming known by parents, services not being available, income, and lack of knowledge were found to deter ASRH service uptake.CONCLUSION:
Addressing ASRH needs of pastoralist adolescents is more urgent than ever, sexual health problems are increasing where these groups face broad hurdles to SRH service uptake. Although Ethiopian national policy has created an enabling environment for ASRH, multiple implementation issues require special attention to such neglected groups. "Gender-culture-context-appropriate" interventions are favorable to identify and meet the diverse needs of Afar pastoralist adolescents. Afar regional education bureau and concerned stakeholders need to improve adolescent education to overcome social barriers (e.g. humiliation, disgrace, and deterring gender norms) against ASRH services through community outreach programs. In addition, economic empowerment, peer education, adolescent counseling, and parent-youth communication will help address sensitive ASRH issues.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Serviços de Saúde Reprodutiva
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Qualitative_research
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Child
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Female
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Humans
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Male
País como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article