Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Adolescent Girls from Conservative and Low-Income Families in Erzurum, Turkey (Report‪)‬

1. INTRODUCTION Of the world population in 2000, over one billion people were adolescents (10-19 years old) and 85% of them lived in developing countries, mainly Asian countries [1]. They will contribute to population growth in next decades, suggesting that their education on sexual and reproductive health and their needs are extremely critical [2]. Moreover, they may be vulnerable to several diseases and problems, such as HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as well as experiencing unintended pregnancies and maternal complications, if they receive inaccurate or incomplete information on reproductive health. A survey conducted by Polish researchers ascertained that adolescent girls were sexually active and 41.1% of them were referred to ineffective methods, which led to withdrawal during sexual intercourse, resulting in a higher rate of unwanted pregnancy, STD, and other sexual and reproductive health problems [3]. In fact, it was reported that 70% of the people STDs were at age ranging from 15 to 24 years [4]. Adolescent sexual and reproductive health education is still a neglected issue in many countries [5]. Especially the adolescents from the rural part of the developing countries are disadvantageous due to unavailability and/or inadequacy of reproductive health care services and trainings [6-10]. While the reproductive and sexual health of adolescents is acknowledged as good from developed countries to Western Europe countries [11,12], there are studies reporting that the reproductive and sexual health of adolescents in some European countries [13,14], Canada [12,15], and America [9,15,16] are poor. Worldwide, societal shifts and behavioural patterns exacerbated by unique developmental vulnerabilities create a confluence of factors that place today's adolescents at heightened risks for poor health outcomes [9]. Therefore, Worldwide, all adolescents need sexual and reproductive health education and legal acts [9,13]. International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994 recognized the reproductive rights as fundamental human rights [9]. These rights cover that all adolescents should receive health care services and that they should be given a high-quality sexual and reproductive health education. However, before provision of such service, field surveys must be performed to determine knowledge on and attitudes toward reproductive health and sexual matters, which may vary the culture, religion, economical and educational statues, and environmental factors. Therefore, in this preliminary study, we conducted a survey involving adolescent girls from conservative and/or economically challenged families to determine their knowledge on and attitudes toward reproductive health and sexual matters and explore their needs.