Abstract:
Globally, countries are mandated to provide Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health services to the youth. However, the world’s prospect for achieving Sustainable Development Goals 3.7 and 5 is jeopardized by the growing youth population. This review was the first phase of a doctoral study which was intended to develop a sustainable model for the provision of Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health services in Kenya. The aim of the review was to map out the state of knowledge on Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health services.
Methods
The review was guided by the principles of systematic literature review. The PICO\PICo formats guided the review process. Searches were conducted to studies done between January 2012 to January 2020. CINAHL: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (EBSCOhost), PubMed and Cochrane databases were the search platforms for electronic evidence. Thematic analysis was used to synthesis evidence.
Results
A total of 653 studies were identified during the search strategy however the filtering process led to the selection of 30 studies for review. Worldwide, young people’s sexual and reproductive health problems are similar. Replicated barriers to sustained provision of youth friendly services included: poor appointment times, unavailable commodities, poor acceptability mostly due to cultural and religious reasons, inaccessibility, and lack of health service providers training on youth sexual and reproductive health issues. From the review, a targeted approach to provision of the services generated better outcomes than an integrated approach.
Conclusion
The review indicated that the considerations such as the involvement of the youths before, while and after receiving the services at the delivery sites should be underscored. To achieve sustainable change, a sustainable model for the provision of youth friendly services is the entry point to prevention and improving young people’s sexual and reproductive health issues.
