Challenges of Provision and Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Information among Rural Adolescents in Tanga, Tanzania

Abstract

Sexual and reproductive health information provision to adolescents is among the key priorities in most countries worldwide. It is important to the youth as it creates awareness of an individual’s health and how to overcome reproductive health challenges. This paper pays attention to challenges facing the provision and access of sexual and reproductive health information to rural adolescents in Tanzania. The convenience sampling technique was used to select 151 students while purposive sampling procedures were used to select 8 key informants. The study findings indicate that rural adolescents have access to SRH information although the quality of information is questionable. It also reveals that most adolescents do not access SRH information through social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter. The information received by adolescents is useful. The adolescents, however, affirmed that low priority is a challenge when accessing the information concerned with sexual and reproductive health. Efforts to provide adolescents with SRH services are often hindered by religious members, community members, policies in place, and family members that limit access or seek behaviours by adolescents. The study recommends that the government should put in place adolescent-friendly centres or clinics which will bring these SRH services close to the adolescents.