Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Adolescent Secondary School Girls in Bayelsa State

Abstract:

Introduction- Pinpointing sexual and reproductive health needs from the students` perspective is a key step towards prevention of avoidable global adolescents` death and promotion of health. The purpose of this article was to explore the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescent secondary school students in Bayelsa State. Method- A descriptive qualitative design was adopted for this study using the purposive sampling technique with a sample of 10 participants in one public secondary school. The Source of data was a semi-structured interview guide and a voice recorder. Data was analyzed thematically in six sequential steps. Findings- Two (2) themes, sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents, methods of sexual health dissemination and five (5) sub-themes emerged. Conclusion- Findings indicate that the public-secondary school adolescent girls require education on; menstrual cycle, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, as well as on appropriate use of different types of contraceptives from established centres for sexual and reproductive health services. To ensure the public secondary school girls have access to the services and utilize the services, this study recommends the dare need to adopt different methods to disseminate sexual and reproductive health information to reach the secondary school girls to prevent avertable illnesses and deaths.