Selected Socio-Cultural Factors Influencing Access To Reproductive Health Service Information Among The Youth In Korogocho Slum Of Nairobi, Kenya.

ABSTRACT

Access to reproductive health services information by the youth has received the minimal attention given that reproductive health service information for many years has been tailored to meet the needs of the adult population. The youths have therefore been neglected partly due to cultural sensitivity that dictates what, when and how reproductive health information is transmitted to the youth. This study investigated selected socio-cultural factors influencing access to reproductive health service information in Korogocho slum in Nairobi Kenya. The objectives of the study were to establish the availability of reproductive health service information to the youth, to determine the information the youths have on reproductive health services, to examine the influence of selected socio-cultural factors on accessibility to reproductive health services information and to assess information dissemination on reproductive health services by health providers in Korogocho slum. A descriptive survey design was employed; questionnaires, focused group discussion guides and key informant interview schedules were administered on 164 with youths and 5 health facility officials (key informants) to collect data, the response rate was 91.46%. Purposive sampling was also used to include youth groups whose members were exclusively within the study‟s age bracket (18 – 25) and to select the facilities which offer reproductive health services information. Five youth groups met this criterion. Twenty percent of the respondents from each group were sampled using stratified random sampling. The members of the selected youth groups were divided into two strata: female (320) and male (502). This ensured desired proportionate inclusion of each stratum in the sample. Systematic random sampling of the second member per every ten members from each group in every stratum was done. This gave rise to a total of 164 youths (64 females and 100 males). The reliability and validity of research instruments was ensured by pre-testing and thoughtful discussions with the researcher‟s supervisors respectively. The study findings were presented in prose, tables, graphs and charts. Descriptive statistics of percentage and frequencies were used to describe the population characteristics such as demographic information, education and religion. Inferential analysis involved the use of Chi-square to cross tabulate selected independent variables to the dependent variable. Regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the independent variables (Information the Korogocho youth have on RHSI; The influence of socio-cultural factors on accessibility to RHSI and Dissemination of RHSI) and the dependent variables (Access to reproductive health services information). With a R2 value of 0.98 the study found out that 98% of the independent variables explained access to RHSI with the remaining 2% explained by other factors. The study revealed that the youth in Korogocho had inadequate and inaccurate RHS information mostly received from the media and/or their peers. The major socio-cultural factors influencing the youth‟s access to RHS information were found to be family, religion and peer influence. The study therefore concludes that the above selected socio-cultural factors had influence on access to RHSI among the youths in Korogocho slum. The study recommended that, there is need for the youth to seek for an alternative source of information rather than relying mainly on the peers and the mediam . The government and non-governmental organizations should develop, implement and operationalize youth RHSI policies. The findings of this study are hoped to be useful to policy makers in the public health sector, religious and non-governmental organizations concerned with the welfare and development of youth in Kenya.