Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Utilizations of sexual and reproductive health
(SRH) services among young people is vital in reducing sexual and
reproductive health problems. This study investigated young
people’s perceptions and barriers towards the use of sexual and
reproductive health services in Southwest Ethiopia.
METHODS: A cross sectional study was employed to collect data
from 1,262 in-school youths. Simple random sampling technique
was used to select schools and study participants. Fifteen focus
group discussions and 22 key informant interviews were conducted.
Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted . P value ≤
0.05 was set to determine statistical significance. Data were
analyzed using SPSS v16. Qualitative data were triangulated with
quantitative findings and also presented in themes.
RESULTS: Four hundred sixty (36.5%) of the respondents had
utilized sexual and reproductive health services. Advice on sexual
and reproductive health was the major (67.2%) service sought
followed by seeking-treatments (23.3%). Health centers were the
major (65.0%) source of SRH services. Being married, being
sexually active, father-child communication, religion and place of
residence were significantly associated with use of sexual and
reproductive health services (p<0.05). Lack of information about
SRH, poor perceptions about SRH, feeling of shame, fear of being
seen by others, restrictive cultural norms, lack of privacy,
confidentiality and unavailability of services were deterring use of
sexual and reproductive health services.
CONCLUSIONS: Only a small proportion of young people used
sexual and reproductive health services. Hence, in addition to
behavioral modification interventions, it is essential to consider
multi-level and culturally sensitive interventions in a holistic
approach.
