Reproductive Health Matters Research Articles

Individual and relational dynamics perceived to influence the sexual behaviour of adolescents in Ethiopia: a qualitative study.

There are 1.2 billion adolescents in the world today, more than ever before, making up 16% of the world's population and nearly one-fourth of the total population in Sub-Saharan Africa. Adolescents are facing life-threatening health challenges attributed to sexual and reproductive health issues such as unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and sexually transmitted infections, including the human immunodeficiency virus, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The aim of this research is to explore the individual and relational levels of factors that drive adolescents to engage in risky sexual behaviour. A qualitative phenomenological study design was used from February to June 2020. Adolescents and health professionals were selected purposefully. A total of 12 individual in-depth interviews, five focus group discussions with adolescents, and eight key informant interviews with health professionals were conducted using a semi-structured guide. Data analysis was performed using thematic analysis with ATLAS Ti version 7 software. Credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. In this study, two themes were identified; individual level factors such as sexual desire and emotion driven sex, limited knowledge of sexual and reproductive health, and a permissive attitude towards sexual activities drive adolescents to engage in risky sexual behaviour; and relational level factors such as, limited family support and involvement, negative peer pressure and influence, male partner dominance during the partnership, and pressuring females to engage in sexual intercourse were perceived factors influencing adolescents to engage in risky sexual behaviour. Various individual-level and relational-level factors are influencing adolescents to engage in risky sexual behaviour. Socially and culturally acceptable, comprehensive sexual education should be provided for in-school and out-school adolescents to enhance their knowledge, attitude, and skill about sexual and reproductive health. Interventions at the peer and partner level should be considered to enhance the life skills that enable them to resist pressure from peers and their partners. Child-parent communication on sexual and reproductive health matters should be promoted.

Determinants of peer education on sexual and reproductive health and rights among in-school adolescents in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Peer education has contributed to increased knowledge and preventive behaviors of adolescents toward reproductive health matters with the unique feature of maintaining peer-to-peer learning ability and sustaining intervention gains. This study examined the factors that predict the agency of in-school adolescents as peer educators on the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 257 adolescent boys and girls, purposively selected from six public secondary schools that had received a package of interventions that aimed to improve peer-to-peer education on SRHR in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Data were collected using a pretested structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. The level of statistical significance was determined at a P value < 0.05 and a 95% confidence limit. Almost all the students (98.05%) believed that adolescents need information on SRHR, which should be provided in the schools; however, 66.93% had ever shared information with their peers on the SRHR. The predictors of the practice of peer education on SRHR include being in senior secondary (adjusted odds ratios (AOR) =2.889, P = 0.026), participation in SRHR campaigns (AOR = 6.139, P = 0.005), receiving information, education and communication materials (AOR = 0.266, P = 0.042), and discussing SRH matter with adult family members (AOR = 2.567, P = 0.026). The practice of peer education among adolescents was determined by their level in school, availability of support structures such as parent-child communication, and program-related factors. Therefore, public health initiatives should prioritize these factors to strengthen adolescents' agency as peer educators on the SRHR of young people.

Positive Impact Of Health Education Through Video Media to the Improvevement of Adolescent Reproductive Health Knowledge

Reproductive health knowledge is a critical aspect of adolescents' overall well-being, and its effective promotion plays a pivotal role in ensuring their long-term health and decision-making. In recent years, the utilization of video-based health education has gained popularity as a means of delivering information to this demographic. However, it was imperative to investigate the extent to which this innovative approach truly influences adolescents' knowledge. This study employed a quasi-experimental two-group pretest-posttest design and involved a total of 34 respondents who were selected through a comprehensive total sampling technique. The primary objective was to evaluate the impact of video-based health education on adolescents' knowledge of reproductive health. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney Test and the Wilcoxon Test, revealing a statistically significant improvement in reproductive health knowledge among the participants, as indicated by a p-value of 0.000, which was less than the significance level of 0.05. These findings emphasized the effectiveness of video-based health education as a powerful tool in enhancing adolescents' comprehension of reproductive health matters. It underscores the importance of integrating video-based education into comprehensive health promotion strategies targeted at adolescents, as it has the potential to significantly contribute to their overall health awareness and decision-making capabilities.

Knowledge and Perceptions on Contraception as Predictors of Uptake of Modern Family Planning Among Pastoralist Women of Reproductive Age (15 to 49 Years) in Garbatulla Sub-County, Isiolo County, Kenya

All around the world, there is an enhanced awareness of family planning strategies that can be utilised to postpone pregnancy. Even so, pastoralist women are often not fully aware of existing family planning options. This places them at an increased risk of unplanned pregnancies, which may result in high maternal and child deaths. It is on this basis that this paper seeks to highlight knowledge and perception predictors of uptake of modern family planning amongst pastoralist women of reproductive age drawn from Garbatulla Sub-County, Isiolo County, Kenya. A cross-sectional analytical study design was applied on 419 women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years) proportionately sampled from pastoralists. A semi-structured questionnaire aided in data collection. The dependent variable was uptake of modern family planning measured on a binary categorical scale, whereas the independent variable was knowledge of modern family planning assessed based on possession of certain knowledge aspects on FP by the participants. Perceptions were assessed on a 4-point Likert scale measuring participant's perceptions of certain aspects related to modern FP. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to derive Odds Ratio (OR) at α ≤ 0.05, 95% Confidence Interval (CI). A majority of the participants were aged 25-35 years. Odds of uptake of modern FP reduced by 73% amongst those who had knowledge of the three main categories of modern FP when compared to those who did not have such knowledge, a significant prediction (OR=0.266, 95% CI=0.152-0.467, p&lt;0.0001). On the other hand, the odds of uptake of modern FP were 1.9 times higher amongst those who knew that there are permanent FP methods than those who did not have such knowledge, a significant prediction (OR=1.887, 95% CI=1.188-2.997, p=0.007). Odds of uptake of modern FP were 1.9 times higher amongst those who strongly agreed with the perception that fecund women use FP to postpone childbirth when compared to those who strongly disagreed with this perception, a significant prediction (OR=1.876, 95% CI=1.037-3.393, p=0.037). On the other hand, the odds of uptake of modern FP were reduced by 58% amongst those who strongly agreed with the perception that there is a need to discuss FP and family size with spouse when compared to those who strongly disagreed with this perception, a significant prediction (OR=0.420, 95% CI=0.178-0.989, p=0.0047). In summary specific knowledge and perception variables are significant predictors of uptake of modern family planning by pastoralist women. There is a need to intergarte such factors in the design and implementation of interventions aimed at enhancing reproductive health matters amongst pastoralist women

Family planning decision-making among young males in Southern Africa.

Male partners play a crucial role in reproductive health matters and seem to be identified as the main contributors responsible for the large proportion of poor reproductive health suffered by their female partners. Limited evidence exists, however, on effective strategies to increase male involvement in family planning. Therefore, this study aims to examine the prevalence and factors associated with male involvement in family planning decisions. Using recent data from Demographic and Health Surveys of seven countries in Southern Africa (Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe), age, education, wealth index, religion, occupation, exposure to media, contraceptive knowledge, and sex of household head showed significant associations of male involvement in family planning, and these associations differed by country. By country, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) showed that education (Malawi (primary) AOR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.91-1.38; South Africa (secondary/ higher) AOR: 1.44; 95% CI: 0.95-2.19), religion (Lesotho (Muslim) AOR: 2.10; 95% CI: 0.54-8.12; Zambia (Muslim) AOR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.69-1.49; Zambia (Traditional) AOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.77-1.47), marital status (Malawi (widowed) AOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.55- 2.05; Lesotho (divorced/separated) AOR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.84-1.66; Mozambique (divorced/separated) AOR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.80- 1.33), and sex of household head (South Africa (female) AOR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.96-1.27) were significant predictors of male involvement in family planning decision-making in Southern African countries. Certain socio-economic factors such as wealth status (Malawi (middle) AOR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.91-1.19, ρ< 0.05; South Africa (Rich) AOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.91-1.23), and occupational status (Mozambique (working) AOR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.97-1.29) were found to be positively associated with males' participation in family planning decision-making in Malawi, South Africa and Mozambique. Suggested strategies include programmes targeting couples jointly and family planning education for men provided by male outreach workers, especially in communities at the grassroots level. Therefore, to encourage men's involvement and approval of family planning, community - based intervention programmes that openly target men are required to reduce stigma and misconceptions and boost consciousness of the advantages of family planning utilization.

Making sense of reproductive health messages in the Global South: A case study of Brazil’s NGO Reprolatina

How do young members of disadvantaged communities in countries like Brazil, which have been affected by attacks from far-right populist politicians on women’s rights, make sense of messages on reproductive health in the misinformation age? Two focus groups were conducted in 2021 in collaboration with the Brazilian NGO Reprolatina to assess how disadvantaged women’s groups from Campinas, Sao Paulo, were making sense of messaging on reproductive health within a highly politically polarized local context. The findings revealed also how many women from lower income groups are exposed to a lack of information, as well as even ‘myths’, around fertility treatments and reproductive health matters in the mediated public sphere. The results showed how these groups of women from different age groups felt that there is need for better coverage of reproductive health, and of ‘scientific’ information on health matters more generally, in both the mainstream media and online. This study concludes in favour of improving health literacy approaches, as well as the overall communications on sexuality and reproductive health.

Mother-daughter communication of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) matters and associated factors among sinhalese adolescent girls aged 14–19 years, in Sri Lanka

IntroductionSchool-based and community-based sexuality education has not shown a significant impact on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes of Sri Lankan adolescents. Parents, as the primary educators of adolescents, could potentially serve as better sources for providing individualized sexuality education to their children.ObjectiveTo assess the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) topics discussed between mothers and daughters, barriers to communication, and associations of SRH communication among Sinhala adolescent girls aged 14–19 years in Sri Lanka.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 810 Sinhala adolescent girls using a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics pertaining to mother-daughter communication in SRH matters were presented using frequencies and percentages. Bivariate analysis was performed to evaluate the association of selected socio-demographic factors with mother-daughter SRH communication, while binary logistic analysis was used to assess the independent association of chosen demographic factors with mother-daughter SRH communication.ResultsThe majority of the respondents (67.1%, n = 540) indicated a willingness to discuss SRH matters with their mothers. For 78.2% (n = 632) of the respondents, the mother was the preferred source of SRH information. Common topics discussed between the mothers and daughters included issues related to menstruation (88.4%, n = 701) and maintaining personal boundaries (94%, n = 718), whereas less discussed topics included homosexuality (21%, n = 166), and preventing unwanted pregnancy (38.6%, n = 305). Cultural barriers, fear of mothers’ reactions, and mothers’ lack of confidence in responding to their daughter’s SRH matters were the main barriers to discussing SRH topics with mothers. Adolescent girls’ age, and family income level were significantly associated with mother-daughter SRH communication.Conclusions and recommendationsAlthough a majority of adolescent girls preferred to share their sexual health concerns with their mothers, a notable barrier was the lack of confidence from the mother’s side. Furthermore, the scope of mother-daughter sexual communication in this study was largely limited to less sensitive topics. In light of these findings, it is suggested that interventions targeted at parents be developed alongside school-based sex education for adolescents. These interventions should aim to enhance parents’ knowledge and skills in discussing sexual health matters with their adolescent children.

Factors that Influence Place of Delivery for Women of Reproductive Age in Narok South Sub County

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to explore the factors that influence the place of delivery for women of reproductive age in Narok South Sub County.&#x0D; Methodology: The study adapted a descriptive, cross sectional study design which focused on all women of reproductive age who delivered at home after antenatal hospital care visits in the last 24 months. The research was completed in Narok South Sub County, Narok County in Kenya. The target populace included all women with children below two years of age who gave birth at home yet attended antenatal care visits in a health facility in Narok North Sub-County. The study population included all women of reproductive age which were in the age bracket of 15 and 49 years from Narok south sub-county in Narok County. The study adapted two sampling techniques (purposive sampling and simple random sampling) first, purposive sampling was used to obtain women who have had delivered in the last 24 months and also key informants like TBAs and community elders. A sample of 30% of the targeted population was selected; this is coherent with the proposition by Mugenda and Mugenda (2009) that 30% of the population is deemed to be sufficient for statistical analysis in research. A semi structured questionnaire was utilized to gather data. The study utilized primary data only. The primary data was collected through semi structured questionnaires by visiting households with women of reproductive age who gave birth in the last 24 months in a non- hospital set up. Data was analyzed using excel and statistical package for social sciences SPSS version 22.0.&#x0D; Findings: The study found that emergencies during delivery are well handled in a hospital setup and will greatly improve delivery outcome, the health of the mother and baby. The extended walking distance nearest health facility, the lesser the expectation of mothers to make use of skilled and trained delivery service. The absence of trouble-free transportation service to the nearest health facility is also an essential significant convolution. Source of information on reproductive health matters and more so about pregnancy, labor, and place of delivery can highly influence decision-making on the place of giving birth. Majority of women in rural areas receive advice on reproductive health matters from their 'mothers-in-law and extended family members. When pregnant mothers attend ANC they are taught about delivery and how to prepare for it.&#x0D; Recommendations: County Education officers in liaison with social development officers to promote adult formal education to improve literacy levels, which will go a long way in influencing reproductive health decisions. County health management team, together with the reproductive health section to network with other relevant stakeholders to increase sensitization on utilization of hospital-based deliveries. Health education by all relevant stakeholders on the advantages of hospital delivery. Establish community health units and train community health volunteers and traditional birth attendants to be safe motherhood promoters.

Using the behaviour change wheel to examine facilitators and barriers to assertive contraception-use conversations for Indonesian women

Contraception-use communication between sexual partners is important to reduce unwanted pregnancies and protect sexual and reproductive health. There is a dearth of research focused on developing countries where sexual and reproductive health conversations are often considered taboo. Using the Behaviour Change Wheel, this qualitative study examines the facilitators and barriers to having assertive contraception-use conversations with a male partner for Indonesian women and then identifies behaviour change techniques as potential intervention strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Indonesian women aged 18 to 29 years who had been sexually active and were currently in a committed dating relationship with a male partner. Using thematic analysis, 13 themes were identified. Facilitators of assertive contraception-use communication include knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and contraception, communication skills, closeness of the relationship with one’s partner, other people’s experiences of sex and contraception, and social media norms concerning the open discussion of sex and contraception. Fear of initiating the conversation about contraception was a barrier. Partner’s attitude towards having contraception-use conversations and the taboos surrounding contraception in Indonesian culture acted as both facilitators and barriers. Suggested strategies to promote contraception-use communication include using social media to break the stigma surrounding sexual and reproductive health matters, normalising assertive conversations about contraceptive use with sexual partners, empowering women to be more assertive about their preferences for contraception, and teaching strategies to promote assertive contraception-use communication among young women and men in Indonesia.

Knowledge of reproductive rights and its associated factors among youths of Bule Hora Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, 2021. A community-based cross-sectional study design

ObjectiveThis study was aimed to determine the level of knowledge of reproductive rights and related factors among youths of Bule Hora town, 2021. MethodsA Community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among youths of Bule Hora Town from February 1 to 30, 2021. A systematic random sampling method was used to select 407 youths. A pretested face-to-face interview of a structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data entry was performed by using EPI-DATA Version 3.1 and transferred to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to find the factors related to knowledge of reproductive rights. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% CI at a p-value <0.05 were assessed to measure the strength of associations and statistical significance. ResultsMore than half 241(59.2%), [95% CI (54.4, 63.9)] of the respondents had adequate knowledge about reproductive rights. Educational status of being primary [AOR = 4.75(1.60, 14.14)], secondary [AOR = 3.69(1.26, 10.79)] and college and above [AOR = 3.43(1.09, 10.74)], Counseled for reproductive health matters [AOR = 1.67(1.04, 2.69)], ever joined in reproductive health clubs [AOR = 2.10(1.34, 3.28)] and ever discussed reproductive health matters [AOR = 1.83(1.17, 2.87)] were significantly associated with knowledge of reproductive rights. ConclusionThe level of knowledge about the reproductive right of the youths is found to be inadequate. Being primary, secondary, college and above, counseled about reproductive health matters, joined in reproductive health clubs, and discussed reproductive matters were factors affecting knowledge of reproductive rights.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Adolescents in Schools on Sexual and Reproductive Health: Case of EL MOCTAR KONATE High School in BAMAKO

Introduction: In Mali, sexuality is a subject considered taboo and parents often find it difficult to communicate with their children on this subject. The general objective of this study is: to study the knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents attending El Moctar high school in Banconi Farada in commune I of the district of Bamako. Patients and Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out with students from El Moctar high school in Banconi Farada in commune I of the district of Bamako. It was conducted during the period from April 26 to May 25, 2021, i.e. a duration of one month. All the pupils who gave their consent answered the questions mentioned on the survey sheets. We used SPSS version 20.0 software. Results: The analyzes showed that boys were more likely to participate in our study with 62%. During the survey 43.2% had started sexual intercourse, only 22% of these only active students knew about condoms during their first sexual intercourse and 70.6% had never used condoms. Half of the students questioned do not know about STIs with 52%, the majority knew about HIV/AIDS, ie 91%, more than half did not know about cancer of the cervix, ie 59% of the students surveyed. Among sexually active girls at least 8.8% have a pregnancy and 85.8% of these pregnancies were unwanted. Among the students surveyed, 73% had heard of Family Planning (FP), among them only a few used FP methods and the frequently used methods are condoms, injectables and jadelle. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study, which took place in a private high school in commune I of the district of Bamako, gave us the opportunity to study in general the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents in terms of sexual health and reproduction, specifically to describe their socio-demographic characteristics, determine the level of knowledge, their attitude and practice in matters of sexual and reproductive health. The majority of adolescents, about 52% do not .....

Reassessing the level and implications of male involvement in family planning in Indonesia

BackgroundAlthough there is global recognition of the importance of involving men in family planning and reproductive health matters, this issue has received insufficient attention in many countries. The present study sought to characterize married Indonesian males as to their level of involvement in family planning, identify the correlates thereof and assess the implications of male involvement for unmet need for family planning.MethodsA mixed methods research design was used. The main source of quantitative data was 2017 Indonesian Demographic Health Survey (IDHS) data from 8,380 married couples. The underlying “dimensions” of male involvement were identified via factor analysis. The correlates of male involvement were assessed via comparisons across the four dimensions of male involvement identified in the factor analysis. Outcomes were assessed by comparing women’s and couple’s unmet need for family planning for the four underlying dimensions of male involvement. Qualitative data were collected via focus group discussions with four groups of key informants.ResultsIndonesian male involvement as family planning clients remains limited, with only 8% of men using a contraceptive method at the time of the 2017 IDHS. However, factor analyses revealed three other independent “dimensions” of male involvement, two of which (along with male contraceptive use) were associated with significantly lower odds of female unmet need for family planning. Male involvement as clients and passive male approval of family planning, which in Indonesia empowers females take action to avoid unwanted pregnancies, were associated with 23% and 35% reductions in female unmet need, respectively. The analyses suggest that age, education, geographic residence, knowledge of contraceptive methods, and media exposure distinguish men with higher levels of involvement. Socially mandated gender roles concerning family planning and perceived limited programmatic attention to males highlight the quantitative findings.ConclusionsIndonesian males are involved in family planning in several ways, although women continue to bear most of the responsibility for realizing couple reproductive aspirations. Gender transformative programming that addresses broader gender issues and targets priority sub-groups of men as well as health service providers, community and religious leaders would seem to be the way forward.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Utilization and Associated Factors among Adolescent and Youth in Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia

Background: adolescents and youth characterized by significant physiological, psychological, and social changes; these were put them at high risk for several sexual and reproductive health problems. Insufficient studies have addressed the burden and risk factors of young people’s sexual and reproductive health services utilization in Ethiopia. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the adolescents and youth sexual and reproductive health service utilization and associated factors in Dire Dawa City Administration, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: For the quantitative data, community-based cross-sectional study was carried out using multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using pretested interview-administered questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 24.0. Binary and multiple logistic regression analysis were done to determine the association between the dependent and independent variables. For the qualitative data, phenomenological study was conducted and thematic analysis was employed. Results: This study revealed that the overall sexual and reproductive health service utilization was found to be 39.5%. Youths’ preference regarding the services majority preferred special service hours designated for adolescents (55.6%), (46.9) preferred a discounted price (43.2%) preferred free service, (37% %) preferred young health providers of the same sex. Having discussion on sexual and reproductive health issues with family, living with partner/friend, convenient service hour, short distance from health facility, having sexual activity within the last 12 months were among the factors associated with sexual and reproductive health services utilization. Conclusion and recommendation: This study revealed that the overall sexual and reproductive health service utilization was found to be low. Considering the physical and psychological changes of adolescents’ the discussion on sexual and reproductive health matters is highly important and expected from every family.

Perceived motivators, knowledge, attitude, self-reported and intentional practice of female condom use among female students in higher training institutions in Dodoma, Tanzania

BackgroundUnplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) inclusive, have remained to be a significant public health challenges among young people, especially across middle and low-income countries. Self-efficacy on the right ways of using condoms appears to be effective against the aforementioned health-related problems. However, most women of reproductive age tend not to use them when they are using highly effective contraceptives such as implants, and/or injectable hormones. It is unknown whether the uptake of female condoms among young girls is significantly high or not. Examining female students’ perceived motivators, knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported and intentional female condom practice in training institutions seems to be a key precursor in addressing the challenge.MethodsThe institutional-based analytical cross-sectional survey in a quantitative research approach was adopted to study 384 randomly selected female students from higher training institutions, in Tanzania. Interviewer-administered structured questionnaires from previous studies were the main data collection tools. Data analysis was done using a statistical package for social science (SPSS) with the strength of statistical limits set at a 95% confidence interval and a 5% significance level.ResultsThe response rate of the study was 100% with 24 ± 2.122 years respondents’ mean age while and 32.7% of them were in the third year of their studies. Only 6.2% of the respondents reported having used female condoms while 26.3% of them have not ever seen packages of female condoms. The minority of the respondents (21.7%, 23.3%, and 9.4%) demonstrated good knowledge, positive attitude, and intention to use female condoms respectively. Their age, accommodation, marital status, peer groups, previous training, knowledge, and attitude related significantly to their intentional practices of female condom use (p < 0.05).ConclusionGiven the existing governmental and non-governmental efforts that advocate awareness creation and the uptake of various contraceptives, this study has found that knowledge, attitude, self-reported and intentional practices of female students admitted in higher training institutions within Dodoma region, Tanzania is low. Institutionalized educational programs on sexual and reproductive health matters may need to be prioritized to increase the availability, accessibility, and uptake of female condoms among female students in higher training institutions.

Role of women in reproductive decision making and inter-personal communication regarding reproductive health

Background: Reproductive health of women plays a key role in overall development of a country. Lack of decision-making by women in reproductive health matters may lead to an unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion and other adverse reproductive health outcomes.Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among married women with at least one child aged 18-49 years in Punjab, India. Study variables included socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive health characteristics, contraceptive choices, interpersonal communication and interpersonal relationship with spouses.Results: Among all surveyed married women, only 51 (58.6%) women reported to be physically and mentally ready for their marriage. 50 (57.5%) of women reported using condoms, while about one-third of the women were not using any kind of contraceptive method. 62 (75.5%) women reported decisions to be taken jointly for child health care. Place of delivery was reportedly discussed 78 (88.6%) by women with their spouses. Interpersonal communications were rated as either very good or good by 72 (81.8%) women. Also, women who were more educated than their spouses were less likely to be satisfied with inter-spousal communication. No significant association was observed between higher education of women than their spouses and active role in taking various decisions by women.Conclusions: Women should be encouraged to take her own reproductive and health related decisions and other family members should support her. Efforts to increase awareness for sexual and reproductive issues should be initiated from adolescence phase.

Pre marriage sexual practices and associated factors among students at Woldia University, north eastern Ethiopia.

Students are vulnerable to various cultural, social, economic and peer burdens that pushes them into pre marriage sexual practices. Thus, the present study aimed to assess pre marriage sexual practices and associated factors among students at Woldia University, North East Ethiopia. Institutional based cross-sectional survey was conducted from March 2021 to May 2021. The samples of 324 students was included in the study and selected through multistage sampling technique. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to check the relationship among the dependent and independent variables. Several factors such as being male [(AOR=2.593, 95%CI = (1.262-5.328)], not attending religious education [(AOR = 1.229, 95%CI = (3.581 - 9.528)], living together with parents [(AOR= 0.010, 95%CI = (0.003 - 0.040)] and friends or relatives [(AOR= 0.024, 95%CI = (0.006-0.094)] and inadequate pocket money [AOR = 11.321, 95%CI = (3.672-21.340)], low academic performance [AOR = 5.112, 95%CI = (10.130-24.469)], and no discussion about sex related issues with parents [AOR = 1.310,95%CI = (1.980-14.629)] showed significant associations with pre marriage sexual practices. Pre marriage sexual practice among students' was higher. Therefore, efforts have to be made on the family and students' behavioral change; Sex education sessions towards risky sexual behavior and reproductive health matters are imperative to students and the community at large. Further study should also be done to identify the prevalence and risk of pre marriage sexual intercourse among adolescents out of the school or in a larger community.

Rural Adolescents: Parental Communication on Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.

Purpose There are very limited evidences showing the status of adolescent-parent communication in rural areas of Ethiopia as most of the studies focus in urban areas and were school-based. Therefore, this study intends to determine the adolescent-parent communication on sexual and reproductive health matters and its determinants among rural adolescents in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. Methods Community-based cross-sectional study design was employed using the multistage sampling technique. Structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was cleaned and entered into Epi data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 23 for descriptive and regression analysis. Results From 833 adolescents participated in the study, only 364 (43.7%) of them had ever discussed sexual and reproductive health matters of which males represent 196 (53.8%) followed by females 168 (46.2%). Among these, only 35 (9.6%) had discussed with their mother, and 24 (6.6%) had discussed with their father. The proportion of adolescents who communicated with their parents on sexual and reproductive health issues was 364 (43.7%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that never getting information on SRH issues (AOR = 0.5, 95% CI, 0.4-0.8) and particularly on sexually transmitted infections (AOR = 0.5, 95% CI, 0.4-0.7) and unknowing the period in which there is a possibility to be pregnant for a girl (AOR = 0.2, 95% CI, 0.04-0.9) were found to be independent factors affecting adolescent-parental communication negatively. Conclusion This study's result implies that the majority of the adolescents in the rural area were not communicating with their parents about sexual and reproductive health issues. However, most of them knew about different sexual and reproductive health services and where they could be found. Therefore, the provision of detailed information on the importance of communication with their parents on such a sensitive issue is suggested. Further research is needed to identify the barrier from the parents' side.

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH OF YOUTH

The main factors of the current situation are: low awareness of the population in matters of sexual and reproductive health; lack of a system of sexual education for children and adolescents; the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections, especially among adolescents and young adults; high rates of teenage pregnancy and abortion; insufficient involvement of specialists in the process of protecting reproductive health and preparing for a planned pregnancy; insufficient saturation of the pharmaceutical market with high-quality contraceptives and their high cost; lack of research on the needs of the population in services for the protection of sexual and reproductive health.

Attitude of pregnant women towards male involvement in birth preparedness and complication readiness in selected rural communities of Sokoto state, northwest Nigeria

Background: Poor involvement of male partners in maternal health issues has been identified as one of the major contributors of high maternal mortality in developing countries. Women from diverse socio-cultural background have varying opinions on the level of involvement of their male partners in their reproductive health matters. This study assessed the attitude of pregnant women towards the involvement of their male partners in birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) in selected rural communities of Sokoto state, northwest Nigeria. Materials and method: A cross-sectional study design was used to study 268 pregnant women who were selected from two rural communities via a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: Mean age of respondents was 26.45 ±6.29 years; majority [202(75.4%)] were of the Hausa ethnic group and only 39(14.6%) had formal education. Up to 178(66.4%) of the women agreed it is important for men to prepare for childbirth, 180(67.2%) agreed male partners should make joint decision with wife on matters concerning pregnancy; however, less than half [116(43.4%)] agreed it is important for women to deliver in the hospital and 35.4% believed it is not important for men to accompany wives to hospital for delivery. Overall, 173(65%) had positive attitude towards husbands' involvement in BPCR and the major influencing factors were literacy, knowledge of danger signs and BPCR (p&lt;0.001) Conclusion/Recommendations: Though up to two-thirds of the respondents had positive attitude, a significant proportion expressed negative attitude towards some male involvement practices. There is need for government to educate more women especially on the importance of male involvement in BPCR. Key words:Attitude, pregnant women, male involvement, birth preparedness, Sokoto

Parent\u2013adolescent discussion on sexual and reproductive health issues and its associated factors among parents in Sawla town, Gofa zone, Ethiopia

BackgroundParent–adolescent discussion on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues leads to increased awareness on reproductive health matters and reduces risky behaviors among adolescents and also contributes to negative SRH outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess parent–adolescent discussion on SRH issues and its associated factors in Sawla town, Southern Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among parents of 10–19-year-olds in Sawla town from March to April 2020. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select 697 study subjects. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire, adapted from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic Health Survey and other published literature. The questionnaire consisted of questions about socio-demographic factors, knowledge about SRH issues, attitudes towards SRH issues, and discussions between parents and adolescents concerning SRH issues and was administered by face-to-face interviews p-value < 0.05 and 95%CI for adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were used to declare the significance of the associations.ResultsOf the total participants, 168 (25.7%) respondents had reported discussion about at least two components of SRH issues in the last 6 months prior to the study. Multiple logistic regression model revealed that attending primary education (AOR 3, 95% CI: 1.10, 7.70), secondary education (AOR 9, 95% CI: 3.87, 20.64) and diploma and above (AOR 22.33, 95% CI: 9.49, 32.56), monthly income of above 2000 Ethiopian Birr (AOR 2.40, 95% CI: 1.30, 4.55), good knowledge (AOR 2, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.50)and positive attitude (AOR 4, 95% CI: 1.57, 10) towards SRH issues were statically significant factors associated with increased parent–adolescent discussion about SRH.ConclusionThe occurrence of parent–adolescent SRH discussion is low in Sawla town. Educational status, average monthly income, knowledge and attitude on SRH issues were major factors affecting parent–adolescent discussion on SRH issues. Continuous capacity building on SRH issues for parents to increase the level of parental knowledge and attitude about SRH issues and sustainable advocacy should be provided about the importance of parent to the adolescent discussion. Moreover, it is important to support and scale up the adult learning program to decrease the level of illiteracy.