Abstract
The objective of this survey was to determine the sexual and reproductive health needs of conservative and/or economically challenged adolescent girls. A total of 310 subjects (16.5 ± 2.2 years old), attending three private institutes teaching Islamic matter and the holy Quran and two private institutes teaching carpet-weaving in Erzurum, Turkey, were interviewed between November 2004 and February 2005. The ques-tionnaire covered knowledge on reproductive health and sexual matters to attain their feelings prior to their first menarche, their practices during menstruation, and their awareness of gynecological and sexually transmitted dis-eases as well as their attitudes toward and re-sponsiveness to domestic violence. Their re-sponses showed that these issues were con-sidered taboo and/or embarrassing to share. Also, a considerable percentage of the girls had no or limited knowledge on reproductive health and sexual matters and mismanaged gyneco-logical problems and domestic violence. More-over, those had knowledge revealed that their sources were non-scientific information from unprofessional individuals. In conclusion, the conservative and/or economically challenged adolescent girls who are not attending regular high schools need professional lectures on re-productive health and sexual matters.
Highlights
Of the world population in 2000, over one billion people were adolescents (10 - 19 years old) and 85% of them lived in developing countries, mainly Asian countries [1]
They may be vulnerable to several diseases and problems, such as HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as well as experiencing unintended pregnancies and maternal complications, if they receive inaccurate or incomplete information on reproductive health
A survey conducted by Polish researchers ascertained that adolescent girls were sexually active and 41.1% of them were referred to ineffective methods, which led to withdrawal during sexual intercourse, resulting in a higher rate of unwanted pregnancy, STD, and other sexual and reproductive health problems [3]
Summary
Of the world population in 2000, over one billion people were adolescents (10 - 19 years old) and 85% of them lived in developing countries, mainly Asian countries [1] They will contribute to population growth in decades, suggesting that their education on sexual and reproductive health and their needs are extremely critical [2]. They may be vulnerable to several diseases and problems, such as HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as well as experiencing unintended pregnancies and maternal complications, if they receive inaccurate or incomplete information on reproductive health. International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994 recognized the reproductive rights as fundamental human rights [9] These rights cover that all adolescents should receive health care services and that
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
