STIs among adolescents hit worrying trends - study

Sexually Transmitted Infections(STIs) management is the major reason adolescents visit health facilities, a new study has found.

The study conducted by the Uganda National Health Consumers Organisation (UNHCO) on adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years in 11 districts found that young people visit health facilities for sexual and reproductive health services (64.5%).

STIs management was ranked at a 23.7% high, followed by maternal and new born health (19.8%), family planning (16.4%), elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS (4.9%).

Of the nearly 1,000 adolescents surveyed, up to 38% of the girls and 11% of boys were married. This only comes to confirm earlier studies that have put early marriages at 34.1% for 18-24 year-olds. 

This trend, according to Robinah Katiritimbi, UNHCO's executive director, is a revelation of the breakdown in the role of families. 

"If you have children getting initiated into sex at such an early age points to a crisis. Unfortunately, they are not speaking openly to their parent but rather getting advice from peers," she said.

She argued that much as this is a reality many would find hard to accept, it is increasing putting young children at risk of infection and counter infection, but also the dire challenges of early pregnancies.

Unlike the common perception of poor health service delivery in public health facilities, this particular survey ranked the services satisfactory for adolescents.

This had such measures as health worker attitude at (82.5%), fairly good waiting time (59%), instruction on utilisation of commodities (23.1%), laboratory services (85.2%), privacy (80.2%) and confidentiality (80%).

The study comes at a time when there is increasing controversy on the framework of ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health services for young people.