Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards Reproductive Health Issue of Adolescents in Rural area, Indonesia: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Indonesia’s population is dominated by adolescents; however, reproductive health (RH) issues significantly affect them. Limited access to information and taboo issues regarding reproductive health are significant problems in Indonesian rural areas. Objectives: This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding RH issues among high school adolescents in rural areas in Indonesia and provides information about RH issues. Methods: This is a quantitative, pre-and post-workshop evaluation, cross-sectional descriptive study determining the KAP of adolescents regarding reproductive health issues. We used a questionnaire to measure the KAP. It was conducted on all high school students in Mekong 1 High School of Meranti district, Riau province, Indonesia. After filling out the questionnaire, there was a 25-minute workshop to educate them on RH issues. A statistical significance was set at p<0.05 Results: 121 students completed the questionnaire. Most of them were 17 years old lived with parents (93.4%), with their father’s occupation being labor (42.9%) and housewife (89.3%) for their mothers. The median results of their knowledge were low, although they had a positive attitude and mostly had good practice. There were no differences in knowledge and attitude based on class or gender, but there was a difference of practice between genders. The workshop improves their knowledge level significantly. Conclusion: High school students in the rural district have low knowledge, positive attitudes, and poor sexual health and reproduction practices. There are five of the 121 students who had sex before. The workshop that had been done significantly increased their knowledge and attitude.