Understanding Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Unmarried Adolescents and Youths: Evidence from Formative Study in Two Urban Slums of Uttar Pradesh, India

Hitesh Sahni, Deputy Chief of Party, TCIHC India
Emily Das, Population Services International, India
Mukesh Sharma, Population Services International, India
Samarendra Behera, Deputy Director
Kate Graham, Senior Program Officer
Ipsha Singh, Senior Manager
Basant Kumar Panda, Population Council Consulting

Unmarried adolescent and youth (AY) in many developing countries including India face multiple challenges related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The present study explores the SRH need of AY to gain a holistic understanding of the SRH landscape in context of urban slum settings in India. A formative study was conducted in two urban slums in Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi and Firozabad) using qualitative research techniques such as in-depth interviews (IDI) and focus group discussions (FGD). Thematic analysis was guided by principles of grounded theory and narrative inquiry, both inductive and deductive approaches. The study found a range of challenges faced by unmarried youth, including limited awareness and comprehensive knowledge SRH issues. Social and economic constraints, communication gap, social network and source health provider were the majorly contributed to misinformation and misconceptions. Information through social media and online sources serves as a key source of SRH knowledge among adolescents, but concerns remain about the accuracy and reliability of this information. The study highlighted SRH knowledge, source of knowledge, major concern, and opportunity of SRH knowledge. Multi-faceted strategies, targeted sexual health education among the vulnerable population, Correct SRH information in online contents is essential for dispelling myths and providing accurate information.

Keywords: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Qualitative data/methods/approaches

See paper.