ADOLESCENT PARENT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH COMMUNICATION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CHEHA WOREDA, GURAGE ZONE, CENTRAL ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background: Adolescent-parent sexual and reproductive health communication is a vital way of improving sexual and reproductive health outcomes for adolescents. However, there is limited evidence regarding communication between adolescent and their parents about sexual and reproductive health in Ethiopia. Objective: To assess adolescent parent sexual and reproductive health communication and associated factors among students attending secondary schools at Cheha Woreda, Gurage Zone, Central Ethiopia. Method: A cross-sectional quantitative study, supplemented with qualitative data, was carried out among 550 secondary school students from February 1–30, 2024. A systematic sampling method was employed to select participants. Data collection involved self-administered questionnaires, and Focus Group Discussions were held with a purposively chosen group of students. The quantitative data was entered using EpiData version 4.6 and analyzed with SPSS version 26. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations, with a 95% confidence interval and a pvalue of <0.05 considered for statistical significance. Qualitative data was analyzed using manual thematic analysis. The results were presented in the form of tables, figures, and text. Results: Five hundred fifty participants completed the questionaries’ making the response rate 95.2%. More than half of the participants, 57.1% (95% CI: 0.528–0.613), reported communicating about sexual and reproductive health issues with their parents. The study identified significant associations with adolescent-parent sexual and reproductive health communication, including being female (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.08–2.6), having a mother whose occupation was farmer (AOR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.1–0.7), receiving information about SRH (AOR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.12–2.7), and being knowledgeable about SRH (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.04–2.4). The qualitative findings identified shame and fear of parents as primary barriers to SRH communication. Conclusions and recommendations: Around two third of the participants were aware of various sexual and reproductive health services; however, the proportion of sexual and reproductive health communication with parents was low. Therefore, providing detailed information on the importance of communicating such sensitive issues with parents is recommended. Further research is needed to identify barriers from the parents' perspective