Relationship Between Access to Reproductive Health Information and Risky Sexual Behaviour Among Secondary School Adolescents in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed to determine the relationship between access to reproductive health information and risky sexual behaviour among secondary school adolescents in Kiambu County, Kenya.

Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study targeted 7002 adolescent students from all the 13 public secondary schools in Thika West Sub-County. The following schools were selected Chania girls' boarding school; Chania boys' boarding school and Broadway mixed day school. Thus, specifically, the study targeted 2047 students. Fisher's formula was used to arrive at 364 respondents which 10% was added to cater for attrition. This gave a sample of 400. Stratified sampling techniques was adopted in selecting participating schools to allocate the sample in the respective strata. The study sampled 400-students, their guidance and counselling teachers as the key informants. The researcher administered questionnaires, interview schedules (KII) and focus group discussions (FGD) were used in data collection. Descriptive statistics such as mean, mode and percentages, and inferential statistics such as chi-square and binary logistic regression were applied. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Results revealed that the majority of the adolescent students were aware of contraceptives n=220 (64.7%), safe sex n=284 (83.5%) HIV/AIDS and STIs. The main source of information was found to be from parents and social media (n=172, 50.6%) and mass media as well as religious leaders (n=48, 14.1%).  Majority of the students n=228 (67.1%) considered the availability of reproductive health information less easy, n=152 (44.7%) found the age-appropriate reproductive information helpful Majority of the students n=288 (84.7%) found age-appropriate reproductive information easy to understand, while n=192 (56.5%) found age-appropriate reproductive information easy to apply. Culture, religion and Poverty were also found to have a great and significant influence on age-appropriate reproductive health information. The study concluded that secondary school adolescents in Thika West Sub-County were aware of the contraceptives, safe sex and HIV/Aids and STIs, but the majority had a first sexual encounter at the age of 15 years and though they preferred reproductive information from sources they relied on such as their parents, teachers and social environment, what they received from such was minimal While culture, religious affiliation and economic status greatly influenced their access to age-appropriate reproductive health information.

Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: The study recommends that policymakers should enhance on programmes that advocate for age-appropriate reproductive information through the engagement of all stakeholders like parents' teachers religious and community leaders, who should be sensitized and in training to provide this information as early as six years of age through all stages of life. Adolescents should be imparted with age-appropriate reproductive information at the early stages of life before they start experiencing biological changes so that they can be in control of the changes.