One in three adolescents (36 per cent) are sexually lively, a research commissioned by the United Nations Kids Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Ghana Well being Service (GHS), has revealed.
The research, which was carried out within the Bono East Area, additionally confirmed that 43 per cent of women/younger girls had had intercourse as in comparison with 29 per cent of boys/younger males.
It shaped a part of a undertaking being applied by GHS and UNICEF to handle the sexual and reproductive well being wants of younger individuals in transition to maturity, particularly with reference to their entry and utilisation of adolescent providers.
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Findings of the research had been disseminated to key stakeholders drawn from eight areas at a gathering held at Fumesua within the Ejisu Municipality as a part of methods to handle challenges confronting adolescents within the nation.
Dr Joshua Amo-Adjei, a lecturer on the College of Cape Coast and Lead Researcher, mentioned constructive attitudes round education was considerably related to being sexually lively.
He mentioned respondents who seen faculty positively and expressed constructive intentions of advancing in schooling had been much less more likely to be sexually lively.
Adolescents who reported restricted entry to providers, in keeping with him, had been additionally at larger danger of sexual initiation.
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Dr Amo-Adjei additional disclosed that greater than half of sexually lively respondents had been coerced into first intercourse, including that 13 per cent had been pressured bodily.
“Adolescent childbearing was often talked about as essentially the most regarding well being drawback in all of the taking part communities. The opposite was lack of entry to menstrual hygiene merchandise,” he mentioned on the assembly.
Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, the Regional Director of Well being Providers, mentioned adolescent sexual and reproductive well being was an vital well being points as a result of it was probably the most tough points that might confront any well being system in any nation.
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He mentioned as a result of adolescents had been in transition, they had been susceptible to numerous challenges which if not managed nicely might jeopardise their future.
He talked about undesirable being pregnant, teenage being pregnant, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted ailments in addition to publicity to social media as a number of the challenges principally confronting the adolescent.
The Regional Director advised all stakeholders to step up their respective efforts in addressing adolescent and sexual reproductive well being as a rustic.
Madam Charity Nikoi of the Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Unit of UNICEF Ghana Workplace, mentioned her outfit carried out analysis through the COVID-19 pandemic which revealed that the adolescents weren’t visiting well being amenities not solely due to the pandemic, but in addition on account of reproductive well being points.
“This research is to help the Ghana Well being Service in having an evidence-based method to no matter they’re going to do for adolescents when it comes to sexual reproductive well being,” she famous.
She mentioned the aim was to take a look at the social and institutional determinants of entry to providers and utilisation to make sure points affecting the event of adolescents had been tackled.
