Reproductive and sexual health facilitators and needs of vulnerable adolescent girls

Abstract

Background: Meeting the reproductive and sexual health needs of vulnerable adolescent girls is a priority of every community. Lack of attention to this dimension of health can be associated with issues such as unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted infections. Thus, the identification of these needs is a necessary step for purposive planning, operational intervention, and resource and facility allocation. The present study was conducted to explain the needs and facilitators of reproductive and sexual health in vulnerable adolescent girls. Methods: The present qualitative study was a part of an extensive study conducted using a mixed method to develop a reproductive and sexual program for vulnerable adolescent girls. Purposive sampling as utilized in the present study to select 16 adolescent girls of 12-19 years of age and 22 well-informed key experts. The experts participated in semi-structured interviews to provide the article with their experiences about the needs and facilitating factors of vulnerable adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health. The data were coded and classified following content analysis using MAXQDA software. Results: After scrutinizing and analyzing the data, the category of the needs were obtained under the title of the vulnerable adolescents’ reproductive and pregnancy health needs. The category of facilities was also obtained under the title of targeted prevention of adolescents’ vulnerability. Conclusion: Risky sexual behaviors in adolescent girls are associated with negative physical and psychological consequences for reproductive health. Family and the Welfare Organization play a significant role in supporting vulnerable adolescent girls and meeting their reproductive and sexual health needs. © 2020 saeid alami.