A STUDY OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROBLEMS AMONG FEMALE ADOLESCENTS IN SELECTED SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OJO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS STATE
ABSTRACT
Reproductive health, apart from the absence of disease or infirmity, is the ability of people to reproduce to regulate their fertility and to practice and enjoy sexual relationships. However, reproductive health of the adolescent is important to the overall healthy quality of any community as their relatively high involvement in sexual activities leads to reproductive health problems – sexual transmitted infections STI, RII etc. This study was carried out to find out the reproductive health problem of female adolescents in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 200 female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools were sampled using simple random technique. Descriptive survey design was adopted for this study and a self structured questionnaire was used to solicit information on demographic health problems. The data was analyzed using the descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages and the inferential statistics of chi-square was used to test the hypotheses at alpha level of 0.05. The result obtained showed that 45% of the female adolescents were between the age of 15 – 17 years and 42 – 5% in SS 2 class. Peer pressure, media influence, early initiation into sexual act, lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive issues and lack of parental care had significant effects on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected seniors secondary school in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State. There was joint effect of the above variables on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State. Therefore, the above mentioned problems of reproductive health problems are the key significant factors responsible for reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected secondary schools Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State, as such further research should be carried out to investigate the problems of reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State, so that the fight programs and policy can be planned and implemented in order to combat these problems facing adolescents reproductive health.
TABLE OF CONTENT
PAGES
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of Content vi
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 6
1.3 Significance of the Study 6
1.4 Limitation of the Study 7
1.5 Research Questions 7
1.6 Research Hypothesis 9
1.7 Delimitation of the Study 10
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms 11
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Concept of Reproductive Health 12
2.2 The Concept and the Nature of
the Period of Adolescents 15
2.3 The Reproductive Health Problems
of Female Adolescents 19
2.4 Adolescents Reproductive Health
Programs and Education 45
2.5 Appraisal of Literature 50
CHAPTER THREE
INTRODUCTION
3.0 Research Methodology 52
3.1 Research Design 53
3.2 Population of the Study 54
3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques 54
3.4 Research Instrument 54
3.5 Validity and Reliability of Instrument two Section 55
3.6 Pre-Testing of Research Instrument 56
3.7 Procedure for Data Collection 56
3.8 Procedure for Data Analysis 57
CHAPTER FOUR
RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Result 58
4.2 Hypothesis 1 61
4.3 Discussion of Findings 71
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
- Summary 74
- Conclusion 76
5.3 Recommendation 77
References 78
Appendix 82
CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
In the constitution of the World Health Organization (W.H.O) 1975 Health is defined as state of complete well-being and not merely in the absence of disease or infirmity. This definition, Idealistic as it may look, is no where as relevant and applicable as in the area of reproductive health. A woman in the distress of carrying an unwanted pregnancy cannot be considered healthy because her blood pressure is not elevated and the foetus is showing a normal biophysical profile. In the context of this positive definition, reproductive process is accomplished in a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or disorders of the reproductive process.
Familusi and Alade (2000) asserted that the purpose of reproduction health is the enhancement of life and personal relations and not merely counseling and care related to reproductive and sexual infections. Reproductive healthy implies that apart from the absence of disease or infirmity, people have ability to reproduce, to regulate their fertility and to practice and enjoy sexual relationship. It further implies that reproduction is carried to a successful outcome through infant and child survival, growth and healthy development.
It finally implies that women can go safely through pregnancy and childbirth, that fertility regulation can be achieved without health hazard and that people are safe in having sex. (Fathala, 1988).
Reproductive health problems are those sexually issues that occur specially among adolescent due to so many factors or reasons that are not well handled in their environment.
According to Ishola, Adedimeji and Adedokun (2002) and Dadepo (1999) some of these reproductive healthy problem among Nigerian adolescent as identified by expert are high rate of maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, Reproductive Tracts Infection (RTI)), infertility entopic pregnancy, unwanted recurrent spontaneous abortion, cervical cancer, genital fistulae prenatal mortality, menstrual and sexual abnormality and high fertility.
WHO (1975) defined adolescents as progress from appearance of secondary sexual characteristics (puberty) to sexual and reproductive maturity, development of adult mental process and adult identify and transition from total socio-economic dependence to relative independence. The only universal definition of adolescents like biological developments, emotional maturity and cognitive developments vary greatly among young people of the same age. Ariba (2000) noted that changed occurring during adolescents are natural and primarily intended to help the child to cope with sex, reproduction and social life. Tremendous and rapid spirit of growth and body changes taking place in the adolescent and some other factors from their environment make them vulnerable to these reproductive problems (Odetola, 2004). The adolescents may vary according to cultural environmental and socio-economic status, therefore, their social and reproductive health needs vary considerably across the world. Therefore, as they mature and become sexually active, more young people fall serious health risk, most face these risks with too little fractural information, too little guidance about sexual responsibility and too little access to health care. Despite these urgent needs of the adolescents, program effort have been sighted and showed by controversy (Adapted from population report 1995).
Some of these adolescent’s reproductive health issues, which are vital to health reproductive have been identified by Familusi and Alade (2000). These includes adjustment to body changes and managements of emotion, making decision as to where, how and when or not to have sex, preventing harmful sexual practice and reducing sexual high risk behaviours. Other issues include choosing the right kind of traditional practices and value, avoiding unwanted pregnancies and abortion, accessibility to reproductive health and contraceptive information, courtship marriage and responsible parenthood as well as preventing sexually transmitted inflections.
However, while some of these problems have their causes in psychological and social needs, the needs related to the relationship between genders, sex, sexually, and reproductive health problems of adolescents and young people, if address properly will go a long way in ameliorating the problem faced by the adolescents in this adolescents in this aspects. The association for reproductive and family health (ARFH) conducted a base line in the target communities within Lagos to document the specific needs of the young persons and to develop a profile. Research questionnaire focus group discussion and in-depth interviews of adolescents, their teacher, parents and guardians sought to know their perception of the nature and scope of adolescent’s health problems and ways of achieving them.
This study in its nature and as stated seeks to study the reproductive health problems of female adolescents in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State so as to be able to help tackle this problem properly. There are about total of twenty-three public senior secondary school in this area, adolescents in this area have been observed to have some of this reproductive health problem, which are detrimental to their health.
- STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Reproductive health of the adolescent is important to the over all health quality of any community. Findings from studies including those of MAKINWA (1993) and FREEDMAN (2000) have shown a high level of sexual activities among Nigeria adolescents. This high involvement in sexual activities leads to a lost of reproductive health problems of adolescents such as unwanted or teenage pregnancy, abortion, STis, RTis, school dropout and single parenthood.
Therefore, to equip boys and girls with knowledge and skills about their reproductive health and its effect on their entire life and also to solve these problems, their reproductive health problems have to be discovered. More so, many of these problems have been observed among ojo adolescents.
- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study investigated the reproductive health problem
of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools in Ojo Local Government area of Lagos state.
This will be of great help to the non-governmental organization (NGOs) governmental organizations and private sectors who are involved with reproductive health programs. It will contribute to the body of knowledge as well stimulate other researchers into studies of similar nature.
1.4 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The questionnaire was administered when the schools were about to vacate for holidays. Hence, most of the female students were not readily available as such this affected the total number of questionnaires collected. A total of 200 questionnaires were collected instead of 285.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- Will there be any relative effect of peer pressure on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools in Ojo Local Government area of Lagos state?
- Will there be any relative effect of media influence on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos state?
- Will there be any relative effect of early initiation into sexual act either through rape, incest or other means on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary school in ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State?
- Will there be any relative effect of lack of knowledge of sexual and reproductive issues on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos state?
- Will there be any effect of lack of parental care on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools in OJo Local Government Area of Lagos State?
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
- There is no significant effect of peer pressure on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools in Ojo Local Government area of Lagos state?
- There is no significant effect of media influence on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos state.
- There is no significant effect of early initiation into sexual act either through rape, incest or other means on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
- There is no significant effect of lack of knowledge of sexual and reproductive issues on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary school in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos state.
- There is no significant effect of lack of parental care on reproductive health problems of female adolescents in selected senior secondary schools in OJo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
- DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study was delimited to the followings:
- Female adolescents in the selected secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos state.
- Descriptive survey research design.
- Descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentage
- Inferential statistics of chi-square test hypothesis at 0.5 alpha level significance.
- Self- structured questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection.
- Independent variable of peer pressure, media influence, early initiation into sexual act, lack of knowledge of sexual and reproductive issues and lack of parental care.
- Dependent variables of reproductive health problems (unwanted pregnancy, STIS, RTI and abortion)
1.8 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
- ADOLESCENTS: senior secondary school students between the age of 13-17years
- REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROBLEM: unwanted pregnancy, sexual transmitted initiations, reproductive tract inflections, early marriages, abortion and school drop out.
iii. W.H.O: World Health Organization
- HEALTH: The state of complete well-being and not merely in the absence of diseases
v. REPRODUCTION: The ability of living organism to give birth to new organism of the same specie.
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