| Abstract |
Background: Adolescent pregnancy remains a serious reproductive health challenge in the Namibia, as most of the adolescent pregnancies could result in poor maternal health and premature babies associated with high perinatal and neonatal death. Even though, Namibia provides free contraceptives in all public health facilities, contraceptives use by adolescents is still low. The aim of this study is to establish the barriers that prevent adolescents to access contraceptives in the Keetmanshoop Urban Constituency of the //Kharas region, Namibia. Material methods: A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional was conducted in two secondary schools in the Keetmanshoop Urban Constituency. Data were collected by means of a structured 5- point Likert scale self- administered questionnaire. Data was analysed using Social Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 for windows. Results: The study revealed that the majority of adolescents (98%) had heard about contraceptives, with the main source of information being health care providers (48%). However, contraceptive-use among adolescents was low with 20% and the majority used male condoms (41%) and pills (41%). The major barriers to the access of contraceptives are parental control (22%), cultural norms (15%), peer pressure (13%) and health professionals’ attitudes (11%). Conclusion: The study indicated that there is a low contraceptive use among adolescents. Measures that can improve access to contraceptives includes training of health professionals on counselling adolescents, awareness to the parents on contraceptive use among their adolescents, continuous health talks and promotion of contraceptives in schools. |
