Views: 203 Downloads: 23

Abstract

Child marriage is associated with adverse reproductive health outcomes. Together with efforts to end child marriage, providing adequate health care to married adolescents is essential. However, there has been limited research on reproductive health outcomes among married adolescents. Imlement comprehensive sexual education programs in schools and communities to provide young girls with accurate and age-appropriate information about their bodies, reproductive health, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections.

This study investigated the factors affecting access to reproductive health services among young married adolescents in Shiraz City. This is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study conducted among married adolescents below the age of 18 who were referred to health centers affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Ten health centers were randomly selected, then 140  married adolescents who met the inclusion criteria were investigated with a purposive sampling method. Analysis was conducted using both parametric tests and their non-parametric equivalents. The demographic findings of the married adolescents referred to the centers for reproductive health services indicated that 97% were married, while 3% were divorced. Among the participants, 69.5% had a high school education, and 19% had a middle school education. The university-educated participants represented the lowest percentage of the examined samples. Regarding occupation, 91% of the participants were homemakers, while 82.4% of their spouses were self-employed. Most participants [80.9%] reported their economic status as average. 68.3%  had two children. The mean age of the participants was 18.47±1.15 years. The demographic findings of the teenage referred to the healthcenters to receive reproductive health services in this study. The findings underscore the importance of creating the necessary conditions to improve married adolescents’s access to reproductive health services. By evaluating standard programs in the management field, planners and managers can create the conditions required to enhance the access of teenage mothers to these services. This highlights the need for targeted interventions that address the unique needs of this vulnerable population and ensure equitable access to quality reproductive healthcare services. It concludes the need for policy interventions to address these barriers and improve access to reproductive health services for married adolescents‎.