Most young person will become sexually active before their 20th birthday having to battle with early and unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, maternal deaths and injuries. This study examined young person’s sexual knowledge, attitudes and practices and their levels of utilization of sexual reproductive health. Our study progresses beyond current research of reporting only sexual behaviour among youth to have insight into sexual and reproductive health update drivers yielding new empirically robust results for the Ghanaian case for sexual and reproductive health service uptake. The descriptively cross sectional design was employed in sampling 170 youth (150 surveyed and 20 Interviewed) using the stratified sampling technique together with a purposive selection of one key informant. Test of significance and associations were performed with the Chisquare test. In all 45.2% (77/170) of youth (10 - 24) had had sexual experience in life time. In respect of in-school youth, 42% (63/150) had had sexual experience whiles 70% (14/20) out-of-school youth had had sexual intercourse in life time. A total of 28.8% (49/170) of all the youth had sexual intercourse in the last six months with only 40.1 (20/49) using condom for protection. Parental discussion of contraceptive methods (29.3%) and sexual and romantic relationship (28.0%) was the least sexual and reproductive health area discussed among in-school youth. Youth knowledge of the available sexual reproductive health service was statistically associated with reproductive health service utilization (X2 = 0.00, P ≤ 0.05). A concerted effort is required from government, NGO, Civil society organizations and religious bodies to help translate youth knowledge about sexual health into responsible sexual life and protective sex.
References
[1]
Kesterton, A.J. and Cabral de Mello, M. (2010) Generating Demand and Community Support for Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Young People: A Review of the Literature and Programs. Reproductive Health, 7, 25.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-7-25
[2]
Ghana Health Service (2006) National HIV/AIDS Control Programme. Sentinel Site Report.
[3]
Ghana AIDS Commission, PEPFAR, US CDC, UCSF Global Health Services (2013) The Ghana Men’s Study Integrated Biological-Behavioral Surveillance Surveys and Population Size Estimation among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Ghana.
[4]
Ghana AIDS Commission, Bosu, W., Yeboah, K., Rangalyan, G., Atuahene, K., Lowndes, C., Stover, J., et al. (2009) Modes of HIV Transmission in West Africa: Analysis of the Distribution of New HIV Infections in Ghana and Recommendations for Prevention. Accra.
[5]
GHS (2012) NACP Annual Statistics 2012.
[6]
UNICEF (2007) State of the World’s Children UNICEF. New York.
[7]
Ghana Statistical Service (2010) Population and Housing Census Report. Accra.
[8]
Odoi-Agyarko, K. (2003) Profile of Reproductive Health Situation in Ghana. A Report for the World Health Organization, Ghana.
[9]
Awusabo-Asare, K., Abane, A.M. and Kumi-Kyereme, A. (2004) Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Ghana: A Synthesis of Research Evidence. Occasional Report No. 13.
[10]
Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service (2012) Adolescent Health and Development Programme Report, Accra-Ghana.
[11]
Homans, H. (2003) Youth Friendly Health Services: Responding to the Needs of Young People in Europe. United Nations Inter Agency Group (UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO) Consultant on Youth Friendly Services, Genève, 1-2.
[12]
De-Seta, F., Riccoli, M., Sartore, A., De-Santo, D., Grimaldi, E., Ricci, G., Wiesenfeld, U. and Guaschino, S. (2000) Sexual Behavior and Adolescence. Minerva Ginecology, 52, 339-344.
[13]
Stone, N. and Ingham, R. (2003) When and Why Do Young People in the United Kingdom First Use Sexual Health Services. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35, 114-120.
[14]
Hock-Long, L., Herceg-Baron, R., Cassidy, A.M. and Whitaker, P.G. (2003) Access to Adolescent Reproductive Health Services: Financial and Structural Barriers to Care. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35, 144-147. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1931-2393.2003.tb00135.x
[15]
Cohen, M. (2002) Adolescence: 11-21 Years. In: Morris, G. and Judith, P., Eds., Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents, 2nd Edition, National Centre for Education in Maternal and Child Health Georgetown University.
[16]
Cernada, G.P., Chang, M.C., Lin, H.S., Sun, T.H. and Cernada, C.C. (1986) Implications for Adolescent Sex Education in Taiwan. Studies in Family Planning, 17, 181-197. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1966935
[17]
Frost, J.J. and Driscoll, A.K. (2006) Sexually and Reproduction Health of US. Latinas. A Literature Review. Occasional Report No. 19, Guttmacher Institute, New York.
[18]
Pathfinder International (2005) Youth-Friendly Services: Ghana End of Program Evaluation Report. African Youth Alliance (AYA).
[19]
Scholl, E., Schueller, J., Gashaw, M., Wagaw, A. and Woldemichael, L. (2004) Assessment of Youth Reproductive Health Programs in Ethiopia.
[20]
Berhane, Y., Mekonnen, Y., Seyoum, E., Gelmon, L. and Wilson, D. (2008) HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia an Epidemiological Synthesis. World Bank Global HIV/AIDS Program Series, World Bank, Washington DC.
[21]
Rada, C. (2014) Sexual Behaviour and Sexual and Reproductive Health Education: A Cross Sectional Study in Romania. Reproductive Health, 11, 48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-11-48
[22]
Bogale, A. and Seme, A. (2014) Premarital Sexual Practices and Its Predictors among In-School Youths of Shendi Town, West Gojjam Zone, North Western Ethiopia. Reproductive Health, 11, 49.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-11-49
[23]
Mitikie, G., Tesfaye, M., Ayele, R., Gadisa, T., Enqusillasie, F. and Lemma, W. (2005) HIV/AID Behavioral Surveillance Survey (BSS) Ethiopia 2005. Round Two.
[24]
Asrat, A. (2009) Assessment of Sexual Risk Behaviors of In-School Youth: Effect of Living Arrangement of Students, West Gojam Zone, Amhara Regional State. Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa.
[25]
Oanes-Faludi, C. (2010) Debut of the Sexual and Contraceptive Life of Romanian Female Student. A Qualitative Study. Romanian Journal of Population Studies, 4, 23-43.
[26]
Health Informatics & Integrated Surveillance Systems Division of Disease Prevention, Office of Epidemiology Virginia Department of Health (2012) Age of First Sexual Intercourse, SSuN Special Focus Report.
[27]
Hawkins, K. and Meshesha, B. (1994) Reaching Young People: Ingredients of Effective Programs. In: Sen, G., Germain, A. and Chen, L.C., Eds., Population Policies Reconsidered: Health, Empowerment and Rights, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.
[28]
Munthali, A.C., Chimbiri, A. and Zulu, E. (2004) Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health. In: Nabila, J.S. and Fayorsey, C., Eds., Youth and Reproductive Health in Africa: Assessment of Adolescent Reproductive Health Needs in Ghana, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Accra.
