Youths’ Perceptions Regarding Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

Abstract

Sexual and reproductive health services in Thailand have been provided in accordance with a national policy and strategic plan, but youths’ sexual and reproductive health problems remain relatively high. A significant problem is youths’ low access to appropriate services. This paper reports the first qualitative descriptive phase of participatory action research project, which aimed to develop a model for improving access to sexual and reproductive health services among youths. The study’s purpose was to explore perceptions of youths regarding access to sexual and reproductive health services in northern Thailand. Qualitative data were collected from September 2019 to March 2020 through focus group discussions with 59 youths aged 15-24 years and in-depth interviews with four youths who had experienced an adolescent pregnancy. All participants were purposively recruited and volunteered. The data were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis.Reflecting factors emerged from youths’ needs and contexts toward access to sexual and reproductive health services. Five categories were classified: 1) inaccessibility to existing services, 2) unacceptability of available services, 3) unaware of access to effective information, 4) community’s negative attitude toward youths accessing services, and 5) availability of other convenience services. These findings provide useful information for healthcare providers, particularly nurses and other stakeholders to better understand the perspectives of youths, enhance awareness of collaboration, and promote participation among youths in the development of intervention and strategies to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services.