SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES UTILIZATION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG ADOLESCENTSATTENDING SECONDARY SCHOOL IN META DISTRICT, OROMIA REGION, EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background:Adolescence is a period in which rapid physical, social and psychological development takes place. It is a critical developmental period as a significant portion of the disease and injury burden encountered, implying something different must be done to respond to the needs of adolescents. In Ethiopia, there were many initiatives that support adolescent service utilization, but limited evidence exists on service utilization and associated factors in the study area. Objective:This study aimed to assess the magnitude of sexual and reproductive health services utilization and associated factors among secondary school students in Meta district, Eastern Ethiopia, from May 2–14, 2023. Methods:A school-based cross-sectional study design was used with 475 randomly selected secondary school students. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A structured, pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was used. Collected data was entered to Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 26. Both descriptive and analytical statistics was performed. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were executed.Variables with a P-value <0.05 and adjusted odd ratiowith a 95% confidence interval was used to declare the presence of a statistically significant association between the outcome and independent variables. Result:This study found the magnitude of sexual and reproductive health services utilization among the study participant was 26.7% (95% CI: 22.7%-30.9%). Adolescents who were in grade 12 (AOR = 4.33, 95% CI: 2.12-8.87), being urban residents (AOR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.36-4.48), engaged in sexual activity (AOR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.55-4.59), exposure to SRH information(AOR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.06-4.77), discussions of SRH issues with someone else (AOR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.45–4.61) and proximity to the health facility (AOR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.03-5.56) were significantly associated with high school adolescent’s sexual and reproductive health services utilization. Conclusion:This study found that the magnitude of sexual and reproductive health services utilization among secondary school adolescents was 26.7% which is relatively low.Adolescents' use of services can be increased by expanding educational opportunities, distributing information about the services, encouraging open discussion about sexual issues, and enhancing the geographic accessibility of service providing facilities.