Abstract:
Back ground: Youths are facing different Sexual and Reproductive Health problems. Most
health services for youth are designed for adults and do not always have favorable
conditions to meet the special needs of youths. As well youths have been characterized by low
sexual and reproductive health service utilization. Identifying and integrating young people
preferences and needs regarding health facility helps better serve to youth.
Objectives: To assess sexual and reproductive health service needs and utilization among youths
in west Badewacho woreda, Hadiya Zone, South Ethiopia, 2014.
Methods: The study was conducted from March 1-30, 2014 in west Badewacho woreda, Hadiya
zone, south Ethiopia. Cross sectional study design was used with simple random sampling
technique and total sample size of 658 youths. Data were entered to EPI DATA 3.1 and exported
to SPSS version 20. Descriptive statics for age and family size, proportion for categorical
variables, bivarate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed.
Result: Total of 640 subjects participated in the study and yield 97.3% response rate. Out of
total participants, 25.8% ever had sex and 76.3% needs at least one component of sexual and
reproductive health services. Concerning SRH Service provision modality majority needs in
health center separate room (33.0%), in health post (25.8%) and with in own center (22.3%).
Sex, age, knowledge about reproductive health, participation in peer education, youth
educational status, ever had sex were predictors of reproductive health service need. Out of total
participants only 29.4% youths utilized reproductive health services in the last one year. Ever
had sex [AOR 3.080, 95%CI (1.918-4.944)], ever heard about sexual and reproductive health
[AOR=2.016, 95%CI (1.308-3.106)] and had need to reproductive health services [AOR= 8.564,
95% (4.080-17.977)] were predictors to reproductive health service utilization.
Conclusion and Recommendation: youths have inadquate sexual and reproductive health
knowledge. In contrast to the huge sexual and reproductive health needs, the services
provided by the near by health facility are far from addressing the needs. Even if the services
were available its unfriendliness to youths resulted in less utilization of the available services.
