Barriers to utilisation of RH services for young people
What factors could affect the utilisation of reproductive health services by young people in your area?
There are many factors that affect the utilisation of available sexual and reproductive health services by young people. We can categorise these as: individual/personal factors, institutional factors, and social/cultural factors. Some examples of these factors are presented in Table 10.1.
Table 10.1 Barriers to RH service utilisation.
| Individual/personal factors | Cultural/social factors | Institutional factors |
|---|---|---|
| Marital status | Awareness level of the communities | Judgemental health workers (Figure 10.1) |
| 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 |
| Childbearing status | Peer pressure | Space: if young people are not counselled and served in a private space, they will be afraid that they will be seen by adults |
| Economic status | ||
| Rural/urban residence |
Stop reading and think of your experience. How does each of the factors listed under the individual/personal and cultural/social categories affect service utilisation 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 addressing these barriers to RH service utilisation. In the next section we will suggest some specific things you could do to reduce these barriers.