Abstract
Background: Youth is a period of life in which an individual passes from significant physiological, psychological and social changes that expose them at high risk of reproductive health problems. The reproductive health problems in this period are preventable provided that youth utilize quality reproductive health services. The aim of the study was to assess the extent of youth friendly reproductive health services utilization and the associated factors among secondary and preparatory school youths in Ambo Town. Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 376 youths who were attending the secondary and preparatory school in Ambo town from March, 1-30 /2018. Simple random sampling method was used to select the study participants from each grade. Data were collected by trained data collectors using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The collected data were entered into SPSS version 20 for analysis. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the strength of association between dependent and independent variables at 95% confident interval and P value < 0.05. Results were presented using tables and figures based on the nature of the variables. Result: About 20.7% of the youths had utilized youth friendly reproductive health services at least once in the last twelve months prior to the study. On a multivariable logistic regression analysis variable such as age [AOR=0.38, 95% CI=0.176-0.819], student grade [AOR=3.0, 95% CI=1.499-6.230], previous residence status [AOR=0.53, 95% CI=0.300-0.926] and the existence of youth friendly reproductive health service facility around living area [AOR=7.700, 95% CI=2.931-20.423] were significantly associated with youth friendly reproductive health service utilization. Conclusion: Youth friendly reproductive health services utilization among secondary and preparatory school youths in Ambo town was low. Age of the respondents, student grade, and previous residence status of the respondents & existence of youth friendly reproductive health service health facilities were among predictors of youth friendly reproductive health services utilization. Therefore the Ambo town and, Ambo district health offices, Ambo town education offices and other organizations working in area of youths reproductive health services are recommended to give awareness on youth friendly service utilization through provision of training for youths.
Highlights
Youths are persons between 15 to 24 years of age and accounts about 20% of the world’s population, of whom 85% live in developing countries [1]
The result of this study revealed that three-fourth (79.3%) of the study participants did not use YFRHS
The findings of this study revealed that about 20.7% of the respondents every utilized youth friendly Reproductive health service in the last 12 months in the study area
Summary
Youths are persons between 15 to 24 years of age and accounts about 20% of the world’s population, of whom 85% live in developing countries [1]. Millions of girls are coerced into unwanted sex or marriage, putting them at risk of unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, and complication of child birth Young people both boys and girls are disproportionately affected by HIV [6]. The aim of the study was to assess the extent of youth friendly reproductive health services utilization and the associated factors among secondary and preparatory school youths in Ambo Town. On a multivariable logistic regression analysis variable such as age [AOR=0.38, 95% CI=0.176-0.819], student grade [AOR=3.0, 95% CI=1.499-6.230], previous residence status [AOR=0.53, 95% CI=0.300-0.926] and the existence of youth friendly reproductive health service facility around living area [AOR=7.700, 95% CI=2.931-20.423] were significantly associated with youth friendly reproductive health service utilization. The Ambo town and, Ambo district health offices, Ambo town education offices and other organizations working in area of youths reproductive health services are recommended to give awareness on youth friendly service utilization through provision of training for youths
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