Reproductive Behavior of Adolescent Girls: Analysis of Risk Factors, Prospects of Prevention and Education

INTRODUCTION: Caring of reproductive health of children and adolescents in the society, especially of adolescent girls as a group most vulnerable to risks in the reproductive sphere, continues to be of high importance. The studies confirm that education and awareness about reproductive health can reduce the probability of problems occurring. The existing legal regulations emphasize the importance of providing accurate and timely information of reproductive health.

AIM: Scientific justification of the strategy of forming safe reproductive behavior of adolescent girls on the basis of the peculiarities of their current reproductive behavior taking into account the opinion of specialists in the fields of education and healthcare.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess the peculiarities of reproductive behavior of adolescent girls, an anonymous questionnaire survey of 400 adolescent girls was conducted. To determine the expectations of the participants of the sex education process, as well as the main directions of preventive work and education, a survey of 400 parents of adolescent girls, 86 pediatricians, 34 obstetricians-gynecologists and 420 teachers was conducted. For all groups of participants, author’s questionnaires were developed.

RESULTS: The reproductive behavior of adolescent girls living in the territory of the Novosibirsk region, is characterized by early start of sex life (15.90 ± 0.14 years), promiscuity (1.70 ± 1.10 partners), refusal to use effective means of contraception. Parents of adolescent girls emphasize the leading role of the family in sex education, suggesting participation of doctors and teachers in the process, but remain dissatisfied with the intensity of preventive measures. A similar problem is emphasized by specialists in the healthcare and education systems who indicate the possibility of conducting preventive work with adolescent girls remotely. In the opinion of pediatricians and obstetricians-gynecologists, providing preventive information on the reproductive health and behavior, will not only create safe reproductive behavior for modern adolescents, but is also an effective strategy of improving the system of reproductive health protection.

CONCLUSION: The study identified features of the reproductive behavior of adolescent girls that characterize it as risky. The results emphasize the need for an integrated approach to assessing and maintaining the health of adolescent girls, and also focus attention on the importance of educational work in this age group. The study serves as a basis for further preventive strategies in the field of reproductive health and education.