PAN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF LIFE SCIENCES
e-ISSN: 2672-5924
Volume 9, No. 3, December 2025
Pages 602-609
DOI: 10.36108/pajols/5202/90.0370
Factors Influencing Accessibility to Reproductive Health Services among Female Adolescents in Selected Secondary Schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Iyabo Y. Ademuyiwa1, Atinuke O. Olowe1, Olubukola E. Abiodun-Ojo2*, Anuoluwapo E. Oludare1, Fiyin-foluwa S. Ajayi1.
1Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Health Professions, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos Nigeria.
2Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Nigeria
Abstract
Background: A range of services is essential to quality reproductive health care among female adolescents. Access to these services positively impacts the effectiveness of intervention, reducing morbidity and mortality. The study aimed to determine the factors influencing accessibility to reproductive health services among secondary school female adolescents in south-western Nigeria.
Methods: The study used a descriptive cross-sectional research design and a multi-stage sampling technique to select 374 respondents. The instrument used was a structured, self-administered questionnaire developed through an extensive literature review. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 28.0) and both descriptive and inferential statistics. The hypotheses were tested using the chi-square test, with P<0.05 considered significant.
Results: The findings of this study showed a significant association between respondents’ monthly pocket money and overall access to reproductive health services (p-value < 0.05). Also, there is no significant association between father’s monthly income, father’s level of education, mother’s monthly income, religion, and adolescents’ access to reproductive health services among the respondents (p-value > 0.05). This study found that educational and knowledge levels, as well as confidentiality and privacy, were significant factors influencing adolescents’ access to reproductive health services.
Conclusion: Programs that encourage teacher-teen communication about reproductive health issues should be implemented in secondary schools starting from early adolescence to build skills, and they should also be incorporated into secondary schools’ curricula. Health professionals should conduct outreach to raise awareness among adolescents in Secondary Schools.
Keywords: Adolescents, Accessibility, Reproductive Health, Teenage Pregnancy