Demographic Determinants of Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Utilisation Among Young People in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya
Main Article Content
Abstract
Despite global and national efforts to improve access through youth-friendly programmes, utilisation of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services remains suboptimal in low-resource and rural settings. This cross-sectional mixed-methods study examined the influence of demographic characteristics on the utilisation of SRH services among young people aged 15–24 years in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kenya. Quantitative data were collected from 455 respondents using a structured, interviewer-administered electronic questionnaire selected through multistage sampling, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 12 purposively selected healthcare providers and community leaders. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and multivariable logistic regression in IBM SPSS Statistics version 31. Qualitative data were analysed thematically using NVivo version 14, and findings from both components were integrated during interpretation. Overall, 66.8% of respondents had utilised at least one SRH service during the previous 12 months. Relationship status and gender were the only demographic characteristics that remained significant predictors after multivariable analysis. Qualitative findings revealed that younger and unmarried adolescents faced greater barriers to SRH service access. These barriers were linked to parental control, fear of stigma, confidentiality issues, and limited autonomy. Older and married young people reported greater social acceptance in seeking SRH services. However, gender norms constrained women's decision-making even within marriage while also leaving young men significantly excluded from SRH engagement. This study established that interventions should move beyond broad demographic targeting to address the parental and spousal influences shaping younger adolescents' and married women's service-seeking. Interventions should aim at strengthening confidentiality, promoting non-judgmental service delivery, and directly engaging young men and unmarried youth.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
I/We agree to transfer the copyright of this manuscript to the International Journal of Professional Practice (The IJPP) in the event that the manuscript is published in the Journal.
I/We give the undersigned authors of the manuscript have made the following declaration:
(a) That I/We have made substantial contribution during the conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of the data,
(b) That I/We have participated in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content,
(c) That I/We have read and confirm the content of the manuscript and have agreed to it,
(d) That I/We have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content of the paper,
(e) That I/We give guarantee that the content of the manuscript is original, and has not beenvpublished elsewhere and is not currently being considered for publication by another journal.
