Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers: a qualitative study in a Rwandan district
Background Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) plays a crucial role in overall well-being, and there is a concerning rise in teenage pregnancies globally, particularly evident in Rwanda according to the Demographic and Health Survey. These pregnancies result in serious consequences, impacting the h...
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| Format: | Article |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMJ Public Health |
| Online Access: | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001852.full |
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| author | Madeleine Mukeshimana Vedaste Bagweneza Joselyne Rugema Innocent Twagirayezu Bellancille Nikuze Alice Nyirazigama Marie Laetitia Ishimwe Bazakare Gerard Kaberuka Alice Muhayimana Jacqueline Mukakamanzi |
| author_facet | Madeleine Mukeshimana Vedaste Bagweneza Joselyne Rugema Innocent Twagirayezu Bellancille Nikuze Alice Nyirazigama Marie Laetitia Ishimwe Bazakare Gerard Kaberuka Alice Muhayimana Jacqueline Mukakamanzi |
| author_sort | Madeleine Mukeshimana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) plays a crucial role in overall well-being, and there is a concerning rise in teenage pregnancies globally, particularly evident in Rwanda according to the Demographic and Health Survey. These pregnancies result in serious consequences, impacting the health of teenage mothers and various aspects of their lives. Lack of accessibility to inclusive SRH services among adolescents was documented in different studies and deters them from using SRH services. To date, no studies have explored how teenage mothers access inclusive SRH services in Rwanda.Purpose This study aimed at exploring the accessibility to inclusive SRH services among teenage mothers. The focus was on exploring the understanding of teenage mothers about SRH services; exploring their inclusiveness to SRH services and identifying their suggestions to improve their inclusiveness in SRH services.Methods A qualitative descriptive design was used. 50 teenage mothers from 5 health centres of a Rwandan district participated. They were recruited using purposive sampling and interviewed in five focus group discussions. Before participation, the participants provided their consent. For participants who were minors, consent was obtained from their legal guardians in addition to the participants’ assent. The discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.Results Some participants had limited knowledge of certain aspects of SRH and reported difficulties accessing inclusive SRH services, while others mentioned receiving unfriendly SRH services. Participants suggested flexibility in policies related to providing SRH services to teenage mothers, as well as the assignment of specific healthcare providers to address their SRH needs.Conclusions This study revealed knowledge gaps among participants in SRH and limited accessibility to inclusive SRH services among teenage mothers, due to policy and negative attitudes of some healthcare providers. This highlights the need to educate these professionals in offering inclusive and quality SRH services to teenage mothers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e9dd935de1854696bc7c05d8cae4bb2c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2753-4294 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-e9dd935de1854696bc7c05d8cae4bb2c2025-08-20T03:32:57ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Public Health2753-42942025-01-013110.1136/bmjph-2024-001852Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers: a qualitative study in a Rwandan districtMadeleine Mukeshimana0Vedaste Bagweneza1Joselyne Rugema2Innocent Twagirayezu3Bellancille Nikuze4Alice Nyirazigama5Marie Laetitia Ishimwe Bazakare6Gerard Kaberuka7Alice Muhayimana8Jacqueline Mukakamanzi9School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, RwandaBackground Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) plays a crucial role in overall well-being, and there is a concerning rise in teenage pregnancies globally, particularly evident in Rwanda according to the Demographic and Health Survey. These pregnancies result in serious consequences, impacting the health of teenage mothers and various aspects of their lives. Lack of accessibility to inclusive SRH services among adolescents was documented in different studies and deters them from using SRH services. To date, no studies have explored how teenage mothers access inclusive SRH services in Rwanda.Purpose This study aimed at exploring the accessibility to inclusive SRH services among teenage mothers. The focus was on exploring the understanding of teenage mothers about SRH services; exploring their inclusiveness to SRH services and identifying their suggestions to improve their inclusiveness in SRH services.Methods A qualitative descriptive design was used. 50 teenage mothers from 5 health centres of a Rwandan district participated. They were recruited using purposive sampling and interviewed in five focus group discussions. Before participation, the participants provided their consent. For participants who were minors, consent was obtained from their legal guardians in addition to the participants’ assent. The discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.Results Some participants had limited knowledge of certain aspects of SRH and reported difficulties accessing inclusive SRH services, while others mentioned receiving unfriendly SRH services. Participants suggested flexibility in policies related to providing SRH services to teenage mothers, as well as the assignment of specific healthcare providers to address their SRH needs.Conclusions This study revealed knowledge gaps among participants in SRH and limited accessibility to inclusive SRH services among teenage mothers, due to policy and negative attitudes of some healthcare providers. This highlights the need to educate these professionals in offering inclusive and quality SRH services to teenage mothers.https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001852.full |
| spellingShingle | Madeleine Mukeshimana Vedaste Bagweneza Joselyne Rugema Innocent Twagirayezu Bellancille Nikuze Alice Nyirazigama Marie Laetitia Ishimwe Bazakare Gerard Kaberuka Alice Muhayimana Jacqueline Mukakamanzi Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers: a qualitative study in a Rwandan district BMJ Public Health |
| title | Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers: a qualitative study in a Rwandan district |
| title_full | Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers: a qualitative study in a Rwandan district |
| title_fullStr | Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers: a qualitative study in a Rwandan district |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers: a qualitative study in a Rwandan district |
| title_short | Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers: a qualitative study in a Rwandan district |
| title_sort | inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for teenage mothers a qualitative study in a rwandan district |
| url | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/3/1/e001852.full |
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