Abstract
In India it is taboo to discuss sexual and reproductive health (RH) issues, especially with adolescent boys. Minimal research has been done in India to address the adolescent mindset of boys. Our aim was to study the unaddressed issues among boys and to highlight their perspectives regarding RH.
Methods:
A qualitative study design-using focus group discussions (FGD) in a rural-urban setting in South India was conducted. A convenient sample of 60 boys aged 16–19 years participated in six FGD and 10 boys had participated in in-depth interviews.
Results:
The study revealed that a cordial environment both at home and school were primary needs. Peer pressure and media instigated adolescents to get involved in risky behaviour and substance use. “Pornography”, “wrong myths about RH”, “substance use”, and “sexual attractions” were the primary unaddressed issues of boys. Participants had poor awareness about RH services.
Conclusion:
RH services are inadequate and proper infrastructure is required for providing these services to adolescent boys.
Acknowledgments:
The authors thank all the participants who agreed to participate in the study and the project’s medical social workers.
Conflicts of interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
References
1. Joshi B, Chauhan S, Donde U, Tryambake V, Gaikwad N, et al. Reproductive health problems and help seeking behavior among adolescents in urban India. Indian J Pediatr 2006;73:509–13.10.1007/BF02759896Search in Google Scholar PubMed
2. Paul VK, Sachdev HS, Mavalankar D, Ramachandran P, Sankar MJ, et al. Reproductive health, and child health and nutrition in India: meeting the challenge. Lancet 2011;377:332–49.10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61492-4Search in Google Scholar PubMed
3. Watt LD. Pregnancy prevention in primary care for adolescent males. J Pediatr Health Care 2001;15:223–8.10.1016/S0891-5245(01)67279-1Search in Google Scholar PubMed
4. Porter LE, Ku L. Use of reproductive health services among young men, 1995. J Adolesc Health 2000;27:186–94.10.1016/S1054-139X(00)00118-XSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
5. Agampodi SB, Agampodi TC, Piyaseeli U. Adolescents perception of reproductive health care services in Sri Lanka. BMC Health Serv Res 2008;8:98.10.1186/1472-6963-8-98Search in Google Scholar PubMed
6. Tylee A, Haller DM, Graham T, Churchill R, Sanci LA. Youth-friendly primary-care services: how are we doing and what more needs to be done? Lancet 2007;369:1565–1573.10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60371-7Search in Google Scholar PubMed
7. Flaherty A, Kipp W, Mehangye I. ‘We want someone with a face of welcome’: ugandan adolescents articulate their family planning needs and priorities. Tro Doct 2005;35:4–7.10.1258/0049475053001813Search in Google Scholar PubMed
8. Inhorn MC. Globalization and gametes: reproductive ‘tourism ’, Islamic bioethics, and Middle Eastern modernity. Anthropol Med 2011;18:87–103.10.1080/13648470.2010.525876Search in Google Scholar PubMed
9. World Health Organization. Global Consultation on adolescent friendly health services: a consensus statement. Geneva: WHO 2002:29.Search in Google Scholar
10. Kang M, Wales NS. Better practice in youth health: final report on research study Access to health care among young people in New South Wales, phase 2. NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health 2005.Search in Google Scholar
11. Kefford CH, Trevena LJ, Willcock SM. Breaking away from the medical model: perceptions of health and health care in suburban Sydney youth. Med J Aust 2005;183:418.10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb07107.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
12. Khanna A, Goyal R, Bhawsar R. Menstrual practices and reproductive problems: a study of adolescent girls in Rajasthan. J Health Manag 2005;7:91–107.10.1177/097206340400700103Search in Google Scholar
13. Barua A, Kurz K. Reproductive health-seeking by married adolescent girls in Maharashtra, India. Reprod Health Matters 2001;9:53–62.10.1016/S0968-8080(01)90008-4Search in Google Scholar PubMed
14. Singh MM, Devi R, Gupta S. Awareness and health seeking behaviour of rural adolescent school girls on menstrual and reproductive health problems. Indian J Med Sci 1999;53:439.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
15. Rangaiyan G, Verma RK. Reproductive health, sexual activity and condom use-Knowledge among male college students in Mumbai. Indian J Soc Work 2005;66:442–59.Search in Google Scholar
16. Char A, Saavala M, Kulmala T. Assessing young unmarried men’s access to reproductive health information and services in rural India. BMC Public Health 2011;11:476.10.1186/1471-2458-11-476Search in Google Scholar PubMed
17. Carr LT. The strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative research: what method for nursing? J Adv Nurs 1994;20:716–21.10.1046/j.1365-2648.1994.20040716.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
18. Duffy M. Quantitative and qualitative research: antagonistic or complementary? Nurs Health Care 1987;8:356.Search in Google Scholar PubMed
19. Duffy ME. Methodological triangulation: a vehicle for merging quantitative and qualitative research methods. Image J Nurs Sch 1987;19:130–3.10.1111/j.1547-5069.1987.tb00609.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
20. Corner J. In search of more complete answers to research questions. Quantitative versus qualitative research methods: is there a way forward? J Adv Nurs 1991;16:718–27.10.1111/j.1365-2648.1991.tb01730.xSearch in Google Scholar
21. Jejeebhoy SJ. Adolescent sexual and reproductive behavior: a review of the evidence from India. Soc Sci Med 1998;46:1275–90.10.1016/S0277-9536(97)10056-9Search in Google Scholar PubMed
22. Bearinger LH, Sieving RE, Ferguson J, Sharma V. Global perspectives on the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents: patterns, prevention, and potential. Lancet 2007;369:1220–31.10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60367-5Search in Google Scholar PubMed
23. Boldero J, Fallon B. Adolescent help-seeking: What do they get help for and from whom? J Adolesc 1995;18:193–209.10.1006/jado.1995.1013Search in Google Scholar
24. DeVore ER, Ginsburg KR. The protective effects of good parenting on adolescents. Curr Opin Pediatr 2005;17:460–5.10.1097/01.mop.0000170514.27649.c9Search in Google Scholar PubMed
25. Ackard DM, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, Perry C. Parent-child connectedness and behavioral and emotional health among adolescents. Am J Prev Med 2006;30:59–66.10.1016/j.amepre.2005.09.013Search in Google Scholar PubMed
26. Sieving RE, McNeely CS, Blum RW. Maternal expectations, mother-child connectedness, and adolescent sexual debut. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:809–16.10.1001/archpedi.154.8.809Search in Google Scholar PubMed
27. Parvizy S, Ahmadi F. A qualitative study on adolescence, health and family. Men Health Fam Med 2009;6:163.Search in Google Scholar
28. World Health Organization. The World Health Report 2001 – Mental health: New Understanding, New Hope. Geneva: WHO 2001.Search in Google Scholar
29. Bhatia M, Yesudian C, Gorter A, Thankappan K. Demand side financing for reproductive and child health services in India. Econ Polit Weekly 2006:279–84.Search in Google Scholar
30. Nath A, Garg S. Adolescent friendly health services in India: a need of the hour. Indian J Med Sci 2008;62:465.10.4103/0019-5359.48461Search in Google Scholar PubMed
31. Verma RK, Rangaiyan G, Singh R, Sharma S, Pelto PJ. A study of male sexual health problems in a Mumbai slum population. Cult Health Sex 2001;3:339–52.10.1080/13691050152484759Search in Google Scholar
©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Pre-aesculapian messages from ancient archives of Mesopotamia: the Epic of Gilgamesh and the library of Ashurbanipal
- Review
- A systematic review on critical thinking in medical education
- Original Articles
- Persistence of metabolic syndrome and its impact on glucose metabolism in overweight and obese children and adolescents
- Cross-sectional analysis of food choice frequency, sleep confounding beverages, and psychological distress predictors of sleep quality
- Adolescents’ knowledge and opinions about smoking: a qualitative study from the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site, Bhaktapur District, Nepal
- A qualitative study on how adolescent males in South India view reproductive health
- Perception of primary school teachers to school children’s mental health problems in Southwest Ethiopia
- Preparation for sexual and reproductive self-care in Iranian adolescent girls: a qualitative study
- Serum ischemia-modified albumin levels in adolescent smokers
- Perceptions and use of sources of health knowledge by young adolescents
- An exploratory study of fears among adolescent students from an urban cohort in India
- Alcohol misuse and gateway theory: a longitudinal study among adolescents in Switzerland
- Two-year prospective study of characteristics and outcome of adolescents referred to an adolescent urgent psychiatric clinic
- Screening for celiac disease in patients with eating disorders
- Clustering of behavioural risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among rural-based adolescents in south-west Nigeria
- Knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and estimation of frequency of condom use among Iranian students based on a crosswise model
- Depressive symptoms, hostility, and hopelessness in inner-city adolescent health clinic patients: factor structure and demographic correlates
- Short Communications
- Japanese university students’ views on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals based on previous encounters
- YouTube™ videos related to human papillomavirus: the need for professional communication
- Utility of salivary enzyme immunoassays for measuring estradiol and testosterone in adolescents: a pilot study
- Salivary testosterone as a potential indicator for risky behaviour associated with smoking-related peer pressure in adolescents
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Pre-aesculapian messages from ancient archives of Mesopotamia: the Epic of Gilgamesh and the library of Ashurbanipal
- Review
- A systematic review on critical thinking in medical education
- Original Articles
- Persistence of metabolic syndrome and its impact on glucose metabolism in overweight and obese children and adolescents
- Cross-sectional analysis of food choice frequency, sleep confounding beverages, and psychological distress predictors of sleep quality
- Adolescents’ knowledge and opinions about smoking: a qualitative study from the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site, Bhaktapur District, Nepal
- A qualitative study on how adolescent males in South India view reproductive health
- Perception of primary school teachers to school children’s mental health problems in Southwest Ethiopia
- Preparation for sexual and reproductive self-care in Iranian adolescent girls: a qualitative study
- Serum ischemia-modified albumin levels in adolescent smokers
- Perceptions and use of sources of health knowledge by young adolescents
- An exploratory study of fears among adolescent students from an urban cohort in India
- Alcohol misuse and gateway theory: a longitudinal study among adolescents in Switzerland
- Two-year prospective study of characteristics and outcome of adolescents referred to an adolescent urgent psychiatric clinic
- Screening for celiac disease in patients with eating disorders
- Clustering of behavioural risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among rural-based adolescents in south-west Nigeria
- Knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and estimation of frequency of condom use among Iranian students based on a crosswise model
- Depressive symptoms, hostility, and hopelessness in inner-city adolescent health clinic patients: factor structure and demographic correlates
- Short Communications
- Japanese university students’ views on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals based on previous encounters
- YouTube™ videos related to human papillomavirus: the need for professional communication
- Utility of salivary enzyme immunoassays for measuring estradiol and testosterone in adolescents: a pilot study
- Salivary testosterone as a potential indicator for risky behaviour associated with smoking-related peer pressure in adolescents