KNOWLEDGE OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEEDS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OWERRI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF IMO STATE NIGERIA
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
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Background of the Study
The achievement of any sustainable development still depends heavily on the health of teenagers, particularly with regard to their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Adolescents can pick up a lot of behaviors that impact their lifetime and, in turn, the future adults of the country (World Bank, 2021). Adolescents who make a smooth transition into adulthood are better equipped to take advantage of adult chances. Hence, spending on teenagers’ sexual and reproductive health education and well-being is yielding enormous demographic benefits, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where this age group makes up a sizable fraction of the population (UNICEF, 2019).
A significant percentage of adult preventable deaths are the result of risky behaviors that start in youth. Reproductive health literacy and the adoption of safe sex practices are still low, despite an increase in the number of reproductive health hazards, their detrimental effects on adolescents, and the burden of communicable illnesses in developing nations (Rankin, Heard& Diaz, 2016).
Growing older marriageable age has now created a window of opportunity for young people to engage in risky and premarital sexual behavior, increasing their risk of STIs, HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy. Young people’s propensity to take risks has been linked to a number of socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural factors.
To improve the current state of young people’s sexual and reproductive health, it has been suggested that we increase access to youth-friendly services, implement peer education programs for adolescents enrolled in school, and develop effective Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials and curricula activities (Dido, 2007).
Primary sexual characteristic changes, such as the growth and maturation of reproductive structures like the fallopian tubes, uterus, and vagina in females, and the penis and testes in males, begin during adolescence. Secondary sexual characteristic changes, such as breast growth, the appearance and growth of pubic hair, the appearance of facial hair in males, voice changes, and body shape changes, also occur during this period.
However, with the commencement of puberty, the teenager has discovered that he or she is a boy or a girl and eagerly awaits the transition to manhood or womanhood. He can gain comfort and confidence in his emerging ability to be aroused and respond erotically. At this point, he is preparing to form significant interpersonal interactions. Adolescents face contradictory emotions and social pressures as they transition from childhood to adulthood. Most of them are unprepared for the challenges they encounter. As a result, young people’s actions and sexual practices as they enter adulthood might have long-term consequences.
According to UNFPA (2008), reproductive health knowledge encompasses sexual anatomy, reproduction, intercourse, health, emotional relationships, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, family planning, body image, sexual orientation, sexual pleasure, values, decision making, communication, dating, relationships, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and birth control methods. The literature on adolescent reproductive health information needs is quite limited.
Adolescents’ access to reproductive health information is a difficult topic among parents, the government, and religious groups. Young people require sexual and reproductive health education to prevent STDs, HIV/AIDS, and teen pregnancies. Every child, therefore, should have the right to information which will enable them to assess the alternatives and make an informed decision (Kenneth and Stella, 2007).
Among the largest groups of people who do not receive the reproductive health care they need is the adolescent. They must be able to defend themselves against unwelcome relationships, unexpected pregnancies, early parenthood, and abortions, as well as the ensuing permanent impairment, infertility, or demise. One of the most successful intervention strategies to address teenage reproductive health issues is education that empowers people with reproductive information, particularly at the community level (Family Health International, 2003). It is on this basis that the knowledge of reproductive health needs among secondary school students in Imo State Nigeria is undertaken.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Like the majority of underdeveloped nations, Nigeria denies children and adolescents access to information about sexually and reproductive health (Uwakwe, 2013). In Nigeria, the topic of reproductive health education for teenagers is still debatable. National surveys show that parents, who should be their children’s primary sexuality educators, are not being as transparent as is anticipated of them.
Schoolchildren’s primary source of information about these matters is their equally misguided peers, as educational institutions offer little to no sexuality education to young people (Action Health Incorporated, [AHI], 2016). Every year, a large number of teenagers pass away too soon. According to estimates, 1.7 million young men and women between the ages of 10 and 19 die from illnesses that can be treated or prevented, violence, accidents, and pregnancy-related issues (Blum et al., 2018).
Teenage reproductive health is therefore becoming a more significant aspect of world health. In recent decades, youth sexual and reproductive health has grown to be a serious health concern. Between the ages of 10 and 24, one-third of the world’s population resides in developing nations, with four out of every five of them (Friedman, 2013). Adolescence is a time when many things are tried for the first time and when new behavioral patterns that may last a lifetime are also developed.
The need for HIV preventive initiatives and treatments for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is critical in Nigeria, as seen by the recent and sharply rising incidence of HIV. Students are particularly vulnerable to undesired pregnancies and the spread of sexual illnesses due to their lack of knowledge about family planning techniques, HIV and AIDS, and the use of contraceptives.
Since they have avoided many of the ailments that befall children and are decades away from those linked to aging, adolescents are generally considered to be healthier than other age groups (WHO, 1998). On the other hand, some teenagers experience illness, while others pass away too soon. Teenagers’ sexual conduct poses a serious risk to their health, which is partially driven by their ignorance of reproductive health issues.