Demographic Correlates of Selected Reproductive Health Services Utilization among In-School Female Adolescents in Enugu South Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The increasing sexual activities among adolescents is no doubt a course to worry, and one question that seems yet to be answered in the literature is whether in-school female adolescents utilize reproductive health services or not, considering their demographic differences. This therefore necessitated an investigation on demographic correlates of selected reproductive health services utilization among in-school female adolescents in Enugu South LGA Enugu State. The correlational survey research design was adopted for the study. Four research questions and two null hypotheses guide the study. The population for the study comprised all the 13, 941 in-school female adolescents in the Zone. A sample of 418 in-school female adolescents was drawn from the population for the study using multistate sampling procedure. A researcher-developed instrument titled; socio-demographic correlates of reproductive health services utilization questionnaire (SCRHSUQ) was employed in data collection. Data collected were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, Pearson‟s product moment correlation coefficient and Pearson‟s Chi-square statistic. The study revealed that low proportion of in-school female adolescents utilized reproductive health services (sexuality education services, 24.30%), (prevention and treatment of STIs, HIV/AIDS services, 22.8%). The study also showed that there was a weak negative relationship between age ( = -.146, p = .004), and a weak positive relationship between school location ( = .132, p = .005) and utilization of reproductive health services among in-school female adolescents. The findings further revealed that there was a significant relationship (χ2= 8.396, df= 1, p-value= .004) between age of in-school female adolescents and utilization of RHS; while there was no significant relationship between location (χ2= .019, df= 1, p-value= .546) and utilization of RHS among in-school female adolescents. Based on the findings, it was concluded that utilization of reproductive health services by in-school female adolescents is dependent on their age, and independent of religion and school location.