Abstract
BackgroundThe need for youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services has been identified as a national policy priority in Jordan, but there remains limited data on service utilization among adolescents, especially those who are unmarried, and there is limited training for healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in providing SRH services to youth. The objectives of this study are to 1) describe the most common reasons for encounters that HCPs have with unmarried youth clients about SRH topics and 2) explore differences in SRH services provided to unmarried youth by provider in Jordan.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used a two-stage cluster-randomized sampling scheme to sample HCPs (doctors, nurses, and midwives) from health facilities in four governorates in Jordan. Data were collected on practitioner demographics, facility characteristics, and self-reports of having provided services related to nine common SRH concerns to unmarried girls or boys between the ages of 15–19 years. Chi-square tests were conducted to analyze the associations between provider and facility characteristics, client sex, and types of services rendered.ResultsIn total, 578 providers participated in the study (110 male and 468 female). Practitioners most commonly reported seeing unmarried female youth for concerns related to puberty (38.5%) and family planning (18.51%) and unmarried male youth for concerns of puberty (22.49%) or condoms (11.59%). In total, 64.45, 64.61 and 71.19% of midwives, nurses, and doctors reported having provided any SRH service to an unmarried adolescent. While practitioners most often reported seeing clients of the same sex, male practitioners were more likely to report having seen a female client for STIs (9.09% vs. 4.27% p = 0.040), and providing general information about sexual activity (12.73% vs. 5.77% p = 0.011) than female providers.ConclusionsOur results suggest that a substantial proportion of HCPs have provided SRH services to unmarried youth – challenging existing perceptions of the SRH care-seeking practices of unmarried youth in this conservative context.
Highlights
Accessing high quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services is a common challenge faced by youth around the world
The need for youth friendly SRH services has been identified as a national priority in Jordan, but the country lacks both the necessary health services and policy infrastructure, as well as an enabling cultural environment, to establish services targeting the needs of youth [2]
The overall objective of this study was to better understand healthcare practitioners (HCPs)’ experiences in delivering services to unmarried adolescent clients while 1) describing the most common reasons for encounters that HCPs have with this segment of the population about SRH topics and 2) exploring differences in SRH services provided to female and male unmarried youth by provider in Jordan
Summary
Accessing high quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services is a common challenge faced by youth around the world. The need for youth friendly SRH services has been identified as a national priority in Jordan, but the country lacks both the necessary health services and policy infrastructure, as well as an enabling cultural environment, to establish services targeting the needs of youth [2]. While new youth-friendly service delivery guidelines are currently under development, providers may not be aware of existing service delivery guidelines for youth clients [2] Given these limitations, the demand for SRH information and services among youth is not currently being met. The need for youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services has been identified as a national policy priority in Jordan, but there remains limited data on service utilization among adolescents, especially those who are unmarried, and there is limited training for healthcare practitioners (HCPs) in providing SRH services to youth. The objectives of this study are to 1) describe the most common reasons for encounters that HCPs have with unmarried youth clients about SRH topics and 2) explore differences in SRH services provided to unmarried youth by provider in Jordan
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