Use of youth-friendly health services and predictive factors: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study among young people in the Tamale metropolis.

Globally, teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted infections are on the increase among young people. However, their knowledge and uptake of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services are low. This study evaluated young people's knowledge, attitude and utilizat...

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Main Authors: Vivian Awuah, Gifty Apiung Aninanya, Benson Bionkum Konlan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314596
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author Vivian Awuah
Gifty Apiung Aninanya
Benson Bionkum Konlan
author_facet Vivian Awuah
Gifty Apiung Aninanya
Benson Bionkum Konlan
author_sort Vivian Awuah
collection DOAJ
description Globally, teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted infections are on the increase among young people. However, their knowledge and uptake of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services are low. This study evaluated young people's knowledge, attitude and utilization of youth-friendly health services in the Tamale Metropolis. 420 young people aged between 15 and 24 years were proportionately selected from four suburbs within the Tamale metropolis and a Likert scale was used to collect quantitative data. To determine the correlation between the relevant characteristics and attitudes toward youth-friendly health services, a logit model and chi-square statistics were applied. Respondents' knowledge of youth-friendly health services was low (69%). A majority (71%) of them had a negative attitude towards youth-friendly health services and 63% of them had never used such services before. Level of education and religion were significantly associated with the knowledge levels of respondents while religion, employment status and individuals contributing to decision-making concerning the health of the participants were associated with attitudes towards the services. Cost and level of education were also associated with the uptake of youth-friendly health services. In conclusion, most young people had low knowledge, poor attitudes and low uptake of youth-friendly health services. Predictors of uptake of youth-friendly services were cost and educational level. The study suggests the need for Ghana Health Service to rigorously embark on sensitization programmes on the benefits of utilising youth-friendly health services and the cost of patronising these services could be subsidized to promote its utilization among the youth.
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spelling doaj-art-d409752001d84ca5b908df9db32fdccc2025-01-17T05:32:00ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-011912e031459610.1371/journal.pone.0314596Use of youth-friendly health services and predictive factors: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study among young people in the Tamale metropolis.Vivian AwuahGifty Apiung AninanyaBenson Bionkum KonlanGlobally, teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted infections are on the increase among young people. However, their knowledge and uptake of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services are low. This study evaluated young people's knowledge, attitude and utilization of youth-friendly health services in the Tamale Metropolis. 420 young people aged between 15 and 24 years were proportionately selected from four suburbs within the Tamale metropolis and a Likert scale was used to collect quantitative data. To determine the correlation between the relevant characteristics and attitudes toward youth-friendly health services, a logit model and chi-square statistics were applied. Respondents' knowledge of youth-friendly health services was low (69%). A majority (71%) of them had a negative attitude towards youth-friendly health services and 63% of them had never used such services before. Level of education and religion were significantly associated with the knowledge levels of respondents while religion, employment status and individuals contributing to decision-making concerning the health of the participants were associated with attitudes towards the services. Cost and level of education were also associated with the uptake of youth-friendly health services. In conclusion, most young people had low knowledge, poor attitudes and low uptake of youth-friendly health services. Predictors of uptake of youth-friendly services were cost and educational level. The study suggests the need for Ghana Health Service to rigorously embark on sensitization programmes on the benefits of utilising youth-friendly health services and the cost of patronising these services could be subsidized to promote its utilization among the youth.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314596
spellingShingle Vivian Awuah
Gifty Apiung Aninanya
Benson Bionkum Konlan
Use of youth-friendly health services and predictive factors: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study among young people in the Tamale metropolis.
PLoS ONE
title Use of youth-friendly health services and predictive factors: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study among young people in the Tamale metropolis.
title_full Use of youth-friendly health services and predictive factors: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study among young people in the Tamale metropolis.
title_fullStr Use of youth-friendly health services and predictive factors: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study among young people in the Tamale metropolis.
title_full_unstemmed Use of youth-friendly health services and predictive factors: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study among young people in the Tamale metropolis.
title_short Use of youth-friendly health services and predictive factors: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study among young people in the Tamale metropolis.
title_sort use of youth friendly health services and predictive factors a community based analytical cross sectional study among young people in the tamale metropolis
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314596
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AT bensonbionkumkonlan useofyouthfriendlyhealthservicesandpredictivefactorsacommunitybasedanalyticalcrosssectionalstudyamongyoungpeopleinthetamalemetropolis