Empowerment of Adolescent Girls for Sexual and Reproductive Health Care: A Qualitative Study

• Published in: African journal of reproductive health 2017-12, Vol.21 (4), p.80-92
• Main Authors: Alimoradi, Zainab, Kariman, Nourossadat, Simbar, Masoumeh, Ahmadi, Fazlollah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adolescent girls; Adolescentes; AIDS; Autonomisation; Autosoins; Child development; Content analysis; Data collection; Education; Empowerment; Families & family life; Girls; Health aspects; Health care; Health promotion; Infections; Iran; Menstruation; ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE; Parents & parenting; Puberty; Qualitative research; Reproductive health; Santé sexuelle et de la reproduction; Self care (Health); Self-care; Sexual and reproductive health; Sexual behavior; Social aspects; Social power; Teenage girls; Teenagers
• ISSN: 1118-4841; 2141-3606
• DOI: 10.29063/ajrh2017/v21i4.9

Adolescent girls should be empowered to acquire the ability to take care of their sexual and reproductive health. The present study aimed to improve the understanding of the factors affecting the empowerment of Iranian adolescent girls in terms of taking care of their sexual and reproductive health (e.g. pubertal and menstrual health, preventing high risk sexual behaviors, treatment seeking for sexual and reproductive complaints such as dysmenorrhea, genitalia infection). The present qualitative study was performed using conventional content analysis method. Eight key informants were purposively selected and interviewed. Data collection was performed through unstructured and in-depth interviews. The qualitative content was analyzed simultaneously with data collection based on Graneheim and Lundman method using MAXQDA 2010 software. Data analysis led to the emergence of the main theme of empowerment for care with four classes of reinforcing the foundations of sexual and reproductive health, providing services in health system, reinforcing educational institutions, and consolidating the interaction between adolescent and family, as well as thirteen sub-classes. Results of the present study showed the need for inter-sectional interaction and collaboration among authorities of health systems, education systems, and policymaking institutions to achieve a model for empowering adolescent girls via a multi-level and comprehensive approach. Les adolescentes devraient être habilitées à prendre soin de leur santé sexuelle et de la reproduction, car elles connaissent des changements pubertaires et une participation possible à des comportements sexuels à haut risque et acquièrent des capacités de reproduction. La présente étude visait à améliorer la compréhension et la reconnaissance des facteurs affectant l'autonomisation des adolescentes iraniennes en termes de prise en charge de leur santé sexuelle et de la reproduction (p.ex. santé pubertaire et menstruelle, prévention des comportements sexuels à haut risque, traitement des plaintes sexuelles et de la reproduction) tels que la dysménorrhée, l'infection génitale). La présente étude qualitative a été réalisée en utilisant une méthode d'analyse de contenu conventionnelle. Huit informateurs clés ont été délibérément sélectionnés et interviewés. La collecte de données a été réalisée au moyen d'entrevues non structurées et approfondies. Le contenu qualitatif a été analysé simultanément avec la collecte de données basée s