Assessment of Reproductive Health Right Knowledge and Practice among Preparatory School Female Students of Asella Town, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2015-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Introduction: Reproductive health right (RHR) is the right of couples or every person to decide freely and responsibly on their reproductive conditions and sexuality. Knowledge of those rights is critical to protect school girls from unwanted reproductive outcomes as improving access to reproductive health right is considered as one of the mechanism for achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However majority of young people including female secondary school students in Ethiopia have very little knowledge on youth’s RHR.
Objectives: the objective of this study is to assess knowledge and practice of reproductive health right among preparatory school female students of age 18-24 in Asella Town.
Methods: School based cross sectional study was conducted among preparatory school regular female students for 2014/15 academic year in Asella town from randomly selected classes of two schools using self-administered questionnaire. EPI info version 6 and SPSS version 21Statistical software, were used to enter and analyze the data .Multivariate analysis was carried out to identify significant association between independent and dependent variables.
Result: A total of 403 female students were participated in the study. Seventy percent of the respondents were know about reproductive health rights. Media like TV and Radio were the major sources of information for reproductive health rights. Sixty percent of girls discussed about reproductive issue with their peers. More than 94% of the respondents knew at least one type of contraceptive method, where as its utilization is very low 91.2 inject able was the most known type of contraceptives among respondents. Ninety seven percent of the respondents knew at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI) where HIV was the most reported one. Knowledge of safe time of pregnancy and knowledge of ways of preventing unwanted pregnancy were associated with knowledge of RHR. Marital status, father occupation, discussion on sexual and reproductive issues and having sexual partners were factors affecting practice of reproductive health rights.
Conclusions and Recommendations: Knowledge of the students was moderate on reproductive health right which was 70%. Practice of sexual and reproductive health rights was 22.6% among the study participants. Emphasis on more media coverage especially on news papers and leaf
lates regarding sexual and reproductive health rights to create more knowledge. Schools should establish clubs to promote sexual and reproductive health issues. Working with community and religious leaders can be use full to disseminate information and parents should have to get information on reproductive health rights should have and open discussion with their children regarding sexual and reproductive health issues
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Reproductive health right (RHR)