Sexual and reproductive health information needs; an inquiry from the lens of in-school adolescents in Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: It is important to understand the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of adolescents from the adolescents themselves to address their needs properly. Hence, this paper provides new knowledge on the information needs on SRH among adolescent boys and girls in selected secondary schools in Ebonyi state, southeast Nigeria. METHOD: A comparative assessment was conducted among adolescent boys and girls in public secondary schools that received a specific school-based SRH intervention (group A) and those that did not receive the intervention (group B). These schools were spread across six urban and rural local government areas in Ebonyi state, southeast Nigeria. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 514 adolescents aged 13 to 18 on their stated needs for SRH information and services. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test, and predictors were determined using logistic regression analysis. The statistical significance was determined at p < 0.05. RESULT: Majority of the adolescents (82% of intervention group and 92% of non-intervention group) identified puberty and pubertal changes as perceived SRH information need for adolescents (χ2 = 7.94; p-value = 0.01). Adolescents who received SRH intervention have 3.13 (p < 0.001) times the odds of perceiving the need for adolescents to be provided with SRH information than adolescents who did not receive SRH intervention. The odds of perceiving the need for adolescents to be provided with SRH information for adolescents who reside in urban communities are 0.31 (p < 0.001) times the odds for adolescents who resides in rural communities. That is, the perception odds are higher adolescents who reside in rural communities. Multivariate regression of specific SRH information showed the location of residence as a strong predictor of adolescents' perceived need for information on 'puberty and pubertal changes' (OR = 0.30; p = 0.001), 'safe sex and sexual relations' (OR = 0.33; p < 0.001) and 'prevention of pregnancy and use of contraceptives' (OR = 0.28; p < 0.001). Adolescents in senior secondary school have 2.21 (p = 0.002) times the odds of perceiving the need for adolescents to be provided with specific SRH information than adolescents who are in junior secondary school. CONCLUSION: Adolescents' age, location of residence, and study group were found to be strong predictors of SRH information needs. This suggests the need for in-school adolescents to be provided with substantial and continuous SRH information for healthy living and making informed SRH choices. In developing SRH interventions that will achieve optimal effectiveness in the lives of adolescents in school, different demographic factors should be considered for context-specific and appropriate strategies.

Effects of an intervention to improve sexual and reproductive health on level and predictors of awareness and knowledge of condoms and dual protection amongst adolescents in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents need both information about sexual behaviours and potential risks in order to make the right choices. This study compared adolescents' level of awareness and predictors of knowledge of condoms and dual protection where a multi-component sexual and reproductive health (SRH) intervention was implemented and in communities where the intervention was not implemented, so as to understand the effect of the intervention on awareness and knowledge and also identify predictors of knowledge of contraception methods. METHODS: The study was an intervention study that was undertaken in six local government areas (three rural and three urban LGAs) in Ebonyi state, southeast Nigeria. Data were collected from 855 adolescent boys and girls, using a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select eligible households from which adolescents were interviewed Analysis of data was carried out using bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. The level of statistical significance was determined by a p value of < 0.05. RESULTS: The level of awareness of condoms and dual protection was similar in the intervention and non-intervention communities. However, the predictors of knowledge about condoms and dual protection were different between the intervention and non-intervention groups. The multivariate linear regression showed that the higher the level of education, the higher the level of awareness of contraception methods among adolescents (p < 0.05). Likewise, increasing age by one year and working for pay increased the awareness of condoms and dual protection(p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There was no difference in the level of awareness of pregnancy prevention methods, knowledge of condoms and dual protection in both arms of the study. Higher level of education, increasing age, and working for pay are factors associated with awareness of condom and dual protection. These factors should be prioritized for effective Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) programming.