Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore perceived barriers to accessing and using adolescent health services in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The study was a qualitative study adopting a case study design. In total, 24 adolescents were recruited from four adolescent health facilities in Tema, a suburb of Ghana, using convenient sampling. In-depth interviews with respondents were conducted coupled with the taking of field notes and personal observations. Data collection took place between January and May 2017. Data were transcribed, managed and coded for themes. Thematic analysis was guided by Braun and Clarke’s (2006) Framework. Findings The findings of this study revealed that majority of the respondents were females (54 percent) older adolescents (above 15 years (60 percent), students (79 percent)), had junior high school education and stayed with their biological parent(s) (70 percent). Adolescents in this study perceived four main barriers that restrict their access to or use of adolescent health services. The barriers were found at the facility level, provider level, community level and personal level. Originality/value The findings of this study provide evidence-based information for planning adolescent health care interventions that would improve adolescents’ access to and use of health services in Ghana.
Highlights
Adolescents (10–19 years) are the future leaders of our society and an untapped human resource
Adolescents in this study identified inadequate physical space and privacy as a facility-level barrier to using adolescent health services
Adolescents expressed concerns about the scanty nature of the health information materials. These findings suggest that to improve access to adolescent health services, it would be necessary for health care managers to consider expanding and resourcing the able to come here (AC) coupled with reducing patient waiting time and reviewing the operating hours
Summary
Adolescents (10–19 years) are the future leaders of our society and an untapped human resource. About one-fifth (more than 1.2bn) of the global population are adolescents, and many of the world’s adolescents live in developing nations[1, 2]. In 2015, about 1.3m adolescents died globally from causes that could have been prevented[2]. Over two-thirds of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with 45 percent from Africa[6]. According to Neal et al.[7], approximately 16m girls aged 15–19 years and 2.5m girls under 16 years give birth each year in developing regions. About 2m adolescents are living with human immune virus (HIV) globally[9], and over 41 percent of new HIV infections in every year occur among adolescents[2]
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