Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Sep 18:6:1361662.
doi: 10.3389/frph.2024.1361662. eCollection 2024.

Sexual and reproductive health service utilization and associated factors among high school students in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis

Amare Mebrat Delie  1 , Ousman Adal  2 , Abiyu Abadi Tareke  3 , Eyob Ketema Bogale  4 , Tadele Fentabel Anagaw  4 , Misganaw Guadie Tiruneh  5 , Eneyew Talie Fenta  1 , Destaw Endeshaw  6
Affiliations
Review

Sexual and reproductive health service utilization and associated factors among high school students in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis

Amare Mebrat Delie et al. Front Reprod Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: Several studies have been done on the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services by high school students in Ethiopia, but they have yielded inconsistent results. This study aimed to evaluate the extent to which high school students in Ethiopia are using sexual and reproductive health services by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: Various electronic databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, AJOL, Google Scholar, and Grey Literature were used to search for relevant articles. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Guidelines were followed for this review and meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 and Cochrane Q statistical tests, and data analysis was done with STATA 17 software. Random effect meta-analyses were used to determine the overall utilization rate of sexual and reproductive health services.

Result: This review included 20 studies with 12, 215 study participants. The pooled magnitude of sexual and reproductive health service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia was 29.79% (95% CI: 25.14, 34.43). Students with grades 11-12 (AOR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.39, 3.90), aged between 20 and 24 years (AOR = 2.61; 95% CI: 1.79-3.81), having higher level of knowledge towards sexual and reproductive health issues (AOR = 3.10; 95% CI: 1.67-5.77), previous history of sexual intercourse (AOR = 4.18; 95% CI: 2.59-6.75), previous history of sexually transmitted infection (AOR = 3.74; 95% CI: 2.22-6.31), presence of a reproductive health service facility in the school (AOR = 2.55; 95% CI: 1.72-3.77), and ever-discussed reproductive health issues (AOR = 4.04; 95% CI: 1.62-10.03) were more likely to utilize sexual and reproductive health services.

Conclusions: The overall utilization of sexual and reproductive services among high school students in Ethiopia was found to be low as compared to SDG 3.7. Older individuals with higher education levels and knowledge about sexual and reproductive health services, as well as those who have had previous sexual experiences or discussions about sexual health, are more likely to utilize reproductive health services. To increase utilization, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education should prioritize these factors.

Keywords: Ethiopia; high school; meta-analysis; sexual and reproductive health; students; utilization.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer MM declared a shared affiliation with the author MGT to the handling editor at the time of review.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISM flow diagram of study selection of sexual and reproductive health service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot for the pooled magnitude of sexual and reproductive health service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot for the pooled magnitude of sexual and reproductive health service utilization among high school students based on the region in Ethiopia.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sub group analysis based on sample size of sexual and reproductive health service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Sensitivity analysis for pooled proportion of sexual and reproductive health service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Funnel plot of publication bias assessment for the pooled magnitude of sexual and reproductive health service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Forest plot for the association between grade level of students and sexual and -reproductive service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Forest plot for the association between the age category of students and sexual and reproductive health service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Forest plot for the association between knowledge status towards sexual and reproductive health, and sexual and reproductive service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Forest plot for the association between the sexual experience of students and sexual reproductive service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Forest plot for the association between the previous history of sexually transmitted infection of students and sexual and reproductive service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Forest plot for the association between the RHS facility in school and sexual and reproductive service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Forest plot for the association between students who had ever discussion on sexual and reproductive health issues, and sexual and reproductive service utilization among high school students in Ethiopia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Wakasa BF, Oljira L, Demena M, Regassa LD, Daga WB. Risky sexual behavior and associated factors among sexually experienced secondary school students in Guduru, Ethiopia. Prev Med Rep. (2021) 23:101398. 10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101398 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Denno DM, Hoopes AJ, Chandra-Mouli V. Effective strategies to provide adolescent sexual and reproductive health services and to increase demand and community support. J Adolesc Health. (2015) 56(1):S22–41. 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.09.012 - DOI - PubMed
    1. WHO. Adolescent health in the South-East Asia Region. (2021). Available online at: https://www.who.int/southeastasia/health-topics/adolescent-health (Accessed November 17, 2023).
    1. UNICEF D. UNICEF Data: Monitoring the Situation of Children and Women. New York, NY: Unicef; (2016).
    1. Population, total - Sub-Saharan Africa. (2017). Available online at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=ZG (Accessed November 21, 2023).

LinkOut - more resources