Original Research

Sexual and reproductive health services utilisation amongst in-school young people with disabilities in Ghana

Akwasi Kumi-Kyereme
African Journal of Disability | Vol 10 | a671 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v10i0.671 | © 2021 Akwasi Kumi-Kyereme | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 29 July 2019 | Published: 01 March 2021

About the author(s)

Akwasi Kumi-Kyereme, Department of Population and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

Background: Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of young people including those with disabilities is a major public health concern globally. However, available evidence on their use of sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) is inconsistent.

Objective: This study investigated utilisation of SRHS amongst the in-school young people with disabilities (YPWDs) in Ghana using the healthcare utilisation model.

Methods: Guided by the cross-sectional study design, a questionnaire was used to obtain data from 2114 blind and deaf pupils or students in the age group 10-24 years, sampled from 15 purposively selected special schools for the deaf and the blind in Ghana.

Results: About seven out of every 10 respondents had ever utilised SRHS. The proportion was higher amongst the males (67.8%) compared with the females (62.8%). Young persons with disabilities in the coastal (OR = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.01–0.22) and middle (OR = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.01–0.44) zones were less likely to have ever utilised SRHS compared with those in the northern ecological zone. The blind pupils or students were more likely to have ever utilised SRHS than the deaf (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.26–3.11).

Conclusions: Generally, SRHS utilisation amongst the in-school YPWDs in Ghana is high but significantly associated with some predisposing, need and enabling or disabling factors. This underscores the need for policymakers to consider in-school YPWDs as a heterogeneous group in the design and implementation of SRHS programmes. The Ghana Education Service in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service should adopt appropriate pragmatic measures and targeted interventions in the special schools to address the SRH needs of the pupils or students.


Keywords

sexual and reproductive health services; young people; disabilities; Ghana; utilisation

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Crossref Citations

1. Level of satisfaction and sexual and reproductive health needs of deaf persons in Ghana: a sequential explanatory mixed method study
Wisdom Kwadwo Mprah, Maxwell Peprah Opoku, Juventus Duorinaah, William Nketsia
BMC Health Services Research  vol: 22  issue: 1  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08515-z