Reproductive health is central to human identity and imperative for health and well-being. This study was carried out in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria to investigate the perspective of youths and providers of reproductive health services toward its utilization and challenges. The study was a descriptive cross sectional study of which the multistage sampling technique was adopted to select samples for the study. A well-structured questionnaire was used to interview the subjects all of gave an informed consent to be part of the study. Results showed that the youth’s view on impending factors of RHS include attitude of RHS workers, cost of provision of RHS, poor keeping of secret about one’s health, lack of confidentiality among workers, parental influence, poor environment and poor road accessibility and lack of confidentiality. The providers generally identified the role RHS play in terms of family planning, antenatal care services, treatment of unsafe abortion, referral services, treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted infections, etc. They were of the view that some of the impediments affecting quality RHS in their communities were poor environment, lack of privacy, poor maintenance of the buildings for health care, fear of the elderly, poor attitude of some of the health workers, lack of accessible roads leading to health centers, poor availability of equipment and product supplies, treatment cost, etc. It was recommended that health awareness campaigns concerning RHS and its associating risk factors should be made more pronounced in the society especially among youths.
Keywords: Reproductive Health Services, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Youths, Providers, Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Designing A Training Programme For School Health Nurses On Guiding Adolescents In Their Decision-Making About Reproductive Health In Ijebu Ode Local Government Area Of Nigeria (2)
