Parent-Adolescent/Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Communication: The Case of Secondary and Preparatory School Students in Fiche Town, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Adolescence/youth is a continuum of physical, cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial development. Due to a lack of comprehensive knowledge regarding sexual and reproductive health, adolescents face a number of problems. Clear family communication of reproductive health issues often leads to increased awareness of reproductive health matters and reduces risky behaviors and its consequences in adolescent populations.

To assess parent-adolescent/youth communication and associated factors among students attending secondary and preparatory schools in Fiche town, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 27 to 30,2017, using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Two schools in the town were included in the study. Data were entered using epidata manager version 4.0.2.101 and exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, and variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

The number of students who had ever discussed sexual and reproductive health issues with their parents was 118 (31.2%). Mothers’ educational status of diploma [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.52, 95%CI=1.13-10.95], fathers’ educational status of diploma [AOR=3.84, 95%CI=1.29-11.41], students’ perceived importance of sexual and reproductive health issues discussion [AOR=6.69, 95%CI=2.04-22.00], students’ knowledge about sexual and reproductive health issues [AOR=4.80, 95%CI=2.56-9.01], and students’ attitude towards sexual and reproductive health issues [AOR=3.13, 95%CI=1.76-5.57] were identified as independent predictors of parent-student sexual and reproductive health communication.

The level of parent-student sexual and reproductive health communication is low among secondary and preparatory schools in Fiche town. Therefore, school administration, in collaboration with stakeholders, should facilitate adolescent-friendly services to enhance sexual and reproductive health-related awareness.