Adolescent and youth friendly RH services
Barriers to RH Service Utilization
What are the factors and problems that could affect the utilization of reproductive health service by young people in your area? Barriers are factors or obstacles which hinder adolescents and youth from using reproductive health services in the desired level.
There are many factors/problems that affect the utilization of available sexual and reproductive health services by young people. We can categorize these as follows.
- Individual/personal factors
- Institutional factors
- Social/cultural factors
Barriers to RH Service Utilization
| Individual Factors | Social/ Cultural Factors | Institutional Factors |
|---|---|---|
| Marital status; Childbearing status | Awareness level of the communities | Judgmental health workers |
| Gender norms | Attitudes towards young people's sexual behaviour | Locations: distant facilities, services very close to where adults are being served |
| Sexual activities | Attitude towards AYRH services | Timing: RH services being provided may not have convenient times for young people. If it takes an unreasonably long waiting time to get the service, it is likely that they won't use it. |
| Schooling status | Parent-child interactions | Cost: if the RH services are not provided at reasonable cost, young people can't access them |
| Economic status | Peer pressure | Space: if young people are not counseled and served in a private space, they will be afraid that they will be seen by adults |
| Residence |
Stop reading and think of your experience. How does each of the factors listed under the individual/personal and cultural/social factors affect service utilization by a young person? For instance, if the young person is unmarried and female, she will be less likely to use RH services. In communities where the awareness level is high and people are supportive of RH services for young people, it will be easier for young people to use RH services.
We believe that you have important roles in tackling these barriers to RH service utilization. In the next section we will suggest some specific things you could do to reduce these barriers.
Your role in tackling these barriers to RH service utilization
As you have already learned in previous sessions of this Module, young people face major physical, psychological and social changes in life during which they may have many questions and concerns about what is happening in their life. While this period of life is generally considered as a healthy time of life, it is also a period when much behaviour that negatively affect health start. As a Health Extension Worker you have important contributions to make in helping those young people who are well to stay well, and those who develop health problems get back to good health.
In this section you will learn how you can do this and thereby reduce the barriers to RH service utilization by young people. You can do this in a number of ways. Some of the things you can do include:
- Recognizing that young people have the right to access RH information and services.
- Improving and developing a positive attitude towards young people's sexual and RH needs. If you encounter a young person who is already sexually active, you need to help them in a non-judgmental manner.
- Providing them with appropriate information, counseling and services aimed at helping them maintain safe behaviours and modify unsafe ones (i.e. those that put them at risk of negative health outcomes).
- Identifying and managing health problems and unsafe behaviours
- Referring them to nearby health centers/hospitals for further help when necessary.
- Educating the community so that they can understand the needs of adolescents, and the importance of working together to respond to these needs.