Objectives: Adolescent friendly health services are the tailored health services for adolescents in a friendly environment where adolescents can easily and comfortably access and enjoy sexual and reproductive health services. Utilization of such services helps to address sexual and reproductive health problems faced by adolescents and the status of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in Nepal is alarming. However, limited studies have been conducted on utilization of Adolescent Friendly Health Services and its associated factors among school adolescents. Thus, this study was carried out to assess the factors associated with utilization of adolescent friendly health services in Sunsari district of Nepal.
Methods: This study was a descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out among 502 secondary school adolescents of grade 9 and 10 studying either in public or private schools of Inaruwa Municipality Sunsari District, Nepal. Single stage cluster sampling was followed in this study. Data was collected through administration of pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire during the period of January to March, 2022.
Results : Regarding socio-demographic characteristics, majority of the participants were female (56.2%) compared to male (43.8%). Mean age of the participants was 15 years with standard deviation of 1.359 years and most (92.8%) of them followed Hinduism. More than half of the participants (54.0%) belonged to Madhesi ethnicity and most (61.0%) of them were from nuclear family. Likewise, majority (90.6%) of the adolescents were unmarried whereas 5.6 % were in relationship. More than three-fourth of the participants (79.5%) were staying with their parents. Most participants (53.2%) reported having very close relationship with their family. Similarly, majority (70.9%) of the adolescents had not seen the logo of adolescent friendly health services but three fourth (75.5%) of them had heard about adolescent friendly health services. Only 38.5% of participants were known about the availability of adolescent friendly health institution in their locality and more than three fourth (79.9%) of participants said that the time required to reach health facility was less than 30 minutes. Less than one fourth (24.1%) of the participants had felt needs for sexual and reproductive health services. The utilization of adolescent friendly health services among adolescents was low i.e., 14.5% (CI: 0.115-0.176) and more than half (54.8%) of them had used counselling services. Regards of preference, 44.4% of the participants stated that they preferred private health facilities and most of them (79.3%) preferred the health facility nearby their residence.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, different intervention programs could be conducted to increase the awareness about adolescent friendly health services among adolescents which may increase its utilization.
- World Health Organization. (2020). A situational analysis of programmatic management of TB preventive treatment in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
- David, N., Ezechi, O., Wapmuk, A., Gbajabiamila, T., Ohihoin, A., Herbertson, E. and Odeyemi, K. (2018). Child sexual abuse and disclosure in South Western Nigeria: a community-based study. African Health Sciences, 18(2), 199-208.
- Malhotra, A. (2019). Charting a pathway to multisectoral investments in adolescent health in low-and middle-income countries. Journal of Adolescent Health, 65(1), S1-S2.
- World Health Organization. (2018). Strategic guidance on accelerating actions for adolescent health in South-East Asia Region (2018–2022).
- Path, R. and Kathmandu, N. (2014). Population monograph of Nepal.
- Bhandari, N. R. (2019). Early marriage in Nepal: Prospects for schoolgirls. Journal of International Women's Studies, 20(3), 88-97.
- Hasan, M., Sutradhar, I., Akter, T., Das Gupta, R., Joshi, H., Haider, M. R. and Sarker, M. (2018). Prevalence and determinants of hypertension among adult population in Nepal: Data from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. PloS one, 13(5), e0198028.
- Pandey, P. L., Seale, H. and Razee, H. (2019). Exploring the factors impacting on access and acceptance of sexual and reproductive health services provided by adolescent-friendly health services in Nepal. PloS one, 14(8), e0220855.
- Sweeny, K., Friedman, H. S., Sheehan, P., Fridman, M. and Shi, H. (2019). A health system–based investment case for adolescent health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 65(1), S8-S15.
- Pandey, P. L., Seale, H. and Razee, H. (2019). Exploring the factors impacting on access and acceptance of sexual and reproductive health services provided by adolescent-friendly health services in Nepal. PloS one, 14(8), e0220855..
- Shaw, D. (2009). Access to sexual and reproductive health for young people: bridging the disconnect between rights and reality. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 106(2), 132-136.
- Kennedy, E. C., Bulu, S., Harris, J., Humphreys, D., Malverus, J. and Gray, N. J. (2013). “Be kind to young people so they feel at home”: a qualitative study of adolescents’ and service providers’ perceptions of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in Vanuatu. BMC health services research, 13(1), 1-12.
- Morris, J. L., & Rushwan, H. (2015). Adolescent sexual and reproductive health: The global challenges. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 131, S40-S42.
- World Health Organization. (2008). Accelerating implementation of adolescent friendly health service in the South-East Asia Region (No. SEA-AHD-15). WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia.
- Gautam, P., Soomro, M. H., Sapkota, S., Gautam, K. R., & Kasaju, A. (2018). Barriers to utilization of sexual health services among young people in district dang nepal: A qualitative study. Journal of Medicine, 19(2), 79-83.
- Van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P. and Acharya, D. R. (2012). Sexual and reproductive health status and health service utilisation of adolescents in four districts in Nepal. Availabe from: http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/20421/1/
- Akinyi, O. P. (2009). Determinants of utilization of youth friendly reproductive health services among school and college youth in Thika West District. Kiambu county, Kenya.
- Shrestha, S. (2017). Challenges and Barriers to Adolescent Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Girls in Kaski, Nepal (Master's thesis, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences). Available from: https://oda-hioa.archive.knowledgearc.net/handle/10642/6317
- Khanal, G. N., Khatri, S., Pryor, S. and Yahner, M. (2021). Adolescent and Youth Family Planning and Reproductive Health.
- Mazur, A., Brindis, C. D. and Decker, M. J. (2018). Assessing youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services: a systematic review. BMC health services research, 18(1): 216.
- Binu, W., Marama, T., Gerbaba, M. and Sinaga, M. (2018). Sexual and reproductive health services utilization and associated factors among secondary school students in Nekemte town, Ethiopia. Reproductive health, 15(1), 1-10.
- Helamo, D., Kusheta, S., Bancha, B., Habtu, Y. and Yohannes, S. (2017). Utilization and factors affecting adolescents and youth friendly reproductive health services among secondary school students in Hadiya zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, Ethiopia. Int J Pub Health Safe, 2(141), 2.
- Violita, F. and Hadi, E. N. (2019). Determinants of adolescent reproductive health service utilization by senior high school students in Makassar, Indonesia. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-7.
- Mehra, S., Sogarwal, R. and Chandra, M. (2013). Integrating adolescent-friendly health services into the public health system: an experience from rural India. WHO South-East Asia journal of public health, 2(3-4), 165-173.
- Karki, C. (2004). Study of young people attending an adolescent friendly centre. Kathmandu University Medical Journal (KUMJ), 2(4), 324-330.
- Bam, K., Haseen, F., Bc, R. K., Newman, M. S., Chaudhary, A. H., Thapa, R., & Bhuyia, I. (2015). Perceived sexual and reproductive health needs and service utilization among higher secondary school students in urban Nepal. American Journal of Public Health Research, 3(2), 36-45.
- Tamang, L., Raynes-Greenow, C., McGeechan, K. and Black, K. I. (2017). Knowledge, experience, and utilisation of sexual and reproductive health services amongst Nepalese youth living in the Kathmandu Valley. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 11, 25-30.
- Upadhyay, P. (2018). Sexual and reproductive health services: utilization pattern of adolescents in Nepal. Available from: http://dspace.nehu.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/14600/1/NEHU-Journal-July-Dec-2016
- Regmi, P. R., Van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P. and Acharya, D. R. (2010). Barriers to sexual health services for young people in Nepal. Journal of health, population, and nutrition, 28(6), 619.
- Singh, A. S. and Masuku, M. B. (2014). Sampling techniques & determination of sample size in applied statistics research: An overview. International Journal of economics, commerce and management, 2(11), 1-22.
- Akinyi, O. P. (2009). Determinants of utilization of youth friendly reproductive health services among school and college youth in Thika West District. Kiambu county, Kenya.
- Mattebo, M., Elfstrand, R., Karlsson, U. and Erlandsson, K. (2015). Knowledge and perceptions regarding sexual and reproductive health among high school students in Kathmandu, Nepal. Journal of Asian Midwives, 2(2), 21-35.
Copyright (c) 2022 INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Rights & Permissions Guide
Reproducing Published Material from other Publishers
It is absolutely essential that authors obtain permission to reproduce any published material (figures, schemes, tables or any extract of a text) which does not fall into the public domain, or for which they do not hold the copyright. Permission should be requested by the authors from the copyright holder (usually the Publisher, please refer to the imprint of the individual publications to identify the copyright holder).
Permission is required for:
- Your own works published by other Publishers and for which you did not retain copyright.
- Substantial extracts from anyones’ works or a series of works.
- Use of Tables, Graphs, Charts, Schemes and Artworks if they are unaltered or slightly modified.
- Photographs for which you do not hold copyright.
Permission is not required for:
- Reconstruction of your own table with data already published elsewhere. Please notice that in this case you must cite the source of the data in the form of either “Data from…” or “Adapted from…”.
- Reasonably short quotes are considered fair use and therefore do not require permission.
- Graphs, Charts, Schemes and Artworks that are completely redrawn by the authors and significantly changed beyond recognition do not require permission.
Obtaining Permission
In order to avoid unnecessary delays in the publication process, you should start obtaining permissions as early as possible. If in any doubt about the copyright, apply for permission. JNH cannot publish material from other publications without permission.
The copyright holder may give you instructions on the form of acknowledgement to be followed; otherwise follow the style: “Reproduced with permission from [author], [book/journal title]; published by [publisher], [year].’ at the end of the caption of the Table, Figure or Scheme.
Every mansucript should be accompanied by "Copyright Transfer Agreement" prior to the article publication
Similar Articles
- Muhammad Ikhsan Akbar, Wa Ode Nova Noviyanti Rachman, Sartini Risky MS, FACTORS RELATING TO THE PERFORMANCE OF HEALTH WORKERS IN ABELI CITY HEALTH CENTER, KENDARI CITY: Performance of Health Workers , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 2 No. 1 (2020): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Tasnim Tasnim, Siti Rahmatia, The Health Promotion Strategy To Increase Covid-19 Vaccination Coverage In Lampeapi Health Center: Health Promotion Strategy , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Sri Mulyani, Muhammad Ikhsan Akbar, The Relationship Between The Health Centre Service Quality And Facilities With Inpatients Loyalty: The Health Centre Service Quality , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Yulfiah Suleman, Tasnim Tasnim, Herianto Wahab, ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF HEALTH EDUCATION TO IMPROVE MOTHER'S KNOWLEDGE IN PREVENTING STUNTING IN MASOLAKA RAYA SUB-DISTRICT, BOMBANA DISTRICT: HEALTH EDUCATION AND STUNTING , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 3 No. 1 (2021): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Daslan Daslan, La Ode Saafi, Tasnim Tasnim, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN RESOURCES AND PLANNING WITH MINIMUM COVERAGE OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN KONAWE REGENCY: HUMAN RESOURCES AND PLANNING , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 3 No. 2 (2021): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Tasnim Tasnim, THE EFFECT OF GIVING BREASTFEEDING ON BABY’S NUTRITIONAL STATUS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN NORTH BUTON DISTRICT, INDONESIA: EFFECT OF BREASTFEEDING , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 2 No. 2 (2020): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Hadafiah Hadafiah, Sunarsih Sunarsih, Erwin Azizi Jayadipraja, Putu Suri Saraswati, Sartini Risky, FACTORS RELATING TO THE UTILIZATION OF NCD INTEGRATED POST: Utilization of NCD Integrated Post , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 2 No. 1 (2020): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Elsa Widyavihusna, Idral Purnakarya, Azrimaidaliza, DETERMINANTS OF IRON AND FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION ADHERENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON ANEMIA AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW : ANEMIA AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Asmawati Asmawati, Tasnim Tasnim, Sunarsih Sunarsih, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPETENCY AND SERVICE OFFICERS ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING TARGETS IN KENDARI CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT: EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING TARGETS , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 3 No. 1 (2021): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Martina Pingak, Tasnim Tasnim, Herianto Wahab, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BENEFITS AND CONSTRAINTS PERCIEVED WITH THE HABIT OF SMOKING IN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN LATAMBAGA SUB-DISTRICT KOLAKA DISTRICT: SMOKING IN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 3 No. 1 (2021): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Usha Panta, Utilization Of Antibiotics In Patients With Urinary Tract Infections: Utilization Of Antibiotics , INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IJHSRD): Vol. 4 No. 2 (2022): INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT





