Perception and Attitude of Health Care Workers in Tertiary Health Care Facilities in Plateau State, Nigeria towards Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Unmarried Adolescents

Abstract

Adolescents are faced with the challenges of having access to and the utilization of quality sexual and reproductive health services, and one of the barriers responsible for this situation is the negative personal attributes of service providers. This study aimed to assess the perception and attitude of health workers in the tertiary health facilities in Plateau State towards sexual and reproductive health services for unmarried adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2020 among 208 doctors and nurses/midwives who were selected using a stratified sampling technique. Data were collected using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Product and Service Solutions version 23. The mean age of the respondents was 37.1 ± 9.1 years, 131 (63.0%) were doctors and females constituted 120 (57.7%). One hundred and twenty-nine (62.0%) had a good perception, while 105 (50.5%) had a positive attitude towards sexual and reproductive health services for unmarried adolescents. Younger age below 55 years and a good perception were found to be predictors of a positive attitude towards sexual and reproductive health services for unmarried adolescents. A considerable number of the health workers in the tertiary health facilities in Plateau state had a negative attitude towards sexual and reproductive health services for unmarried adolescents, an attribute that was significantly seen more in those who were older and had a poor perception.  There is a need to improve healthcare workers’ attitudes towards the provision of sexual and reproductive health services for unmarried adolescents.