Accessibility of Rural Adolescents to Sexual and Reproductive Health Information

Abstract

Background: Access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information is crucial for adolescents to promote healthy behaviors and prevent adverse reproductive health outcomes. However, rural adolescents often experience limited access to accurate SRH information due to socio-cultural and service-related barriers.Objective: To assess the accessibility of sexual and reproductive health information among rural adolescents.Materials and Method: cross-sectional study was conducted from January to December 2019 among 393 adolescents aged 11-16 years studying in classes VI–X at two secondary schools in Jamalpur, Bangladesh. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a pretested questionnaire.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 13.9±1.4 years, and males (50.1%) and females (49.9%) were almost equally represented. More than half of the adolescents (51.4%) had an average level of SRH knowledge, while 39.2% had good knowledge. Knowledge regarding puberty-related changes was highest (92.6%), followed by sexual abuse (60.3%) and teen pregnancy (48.1%). Family members (43.0%) were the most common source of SRH information. Most adolescents reported that SRH information was neither readily available (70.0%) nor easily accessible (66.9%). Socio-cultural barriers were the leading obstacles to both availability (70.9%) and accessibility (63.9%) of SRH information. Significant associations were observed between SRH knowledge level and age (χ²=112.236, p<0.001), sex (χ²=63.843, p<0.001), educational status (χ²=78.585, p<0.001), parental education, parental occupation, and monthly household income (p<0.05). Sources of SRH information (χ²=27.147, p=0.001), availability (p=0.046), and accessibility (p=0.048) of SRH information were also significantly associated with knowledge level.Conclusion: Rural adolescents had moderate SRH knowledge, but access to SRH information was limited, primarily due to socio-cultural barriers.

J Med Coll Women Hosp.2026; 22(2): 226-237