Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Behaviour in Dodowa, Ghana

Executive Summary

This report presents findings from a study of sexual and reproductive health status of in-school and out-of-school adolescents in Dodowa, Ghana, carried out in 2001. The research aim was to help design a programme to address adolescents' unmet needs and promote safer behaviours. The research design used both qualitative and quantitative methods, including focus group discussions, PLA techniques and surveys. Students of Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, out-of-school adolescents, teachers, parents and community opinion leaders were included in the study.

Major findings are:

• Adolescent premarital sexual activity is fairly common: 54 percent of the never-married male students, and 32 percent of the never-married female students reported sexual experience.
• Adolescents' sexual partners include their peers, teachers and “sugar daddies.”
• Both female and male adolescents reported being forced to have sex.
• Three in five adolescents -- both female and male -- use condoms, but use is selective and inconsistent.
• Males refuse to use condoms with their regular partners.
• Female adolescents do not insist on condom use because they are afraid of losing their boy lovers, or need monetary support from older partners.
• Some teachers use their position to force female students to have sex with them.

Teenage pregnancy, its termination and unwed motherhood are not that uncommon: 29 percent of the sexually active female adolescents reported that they had been pregnant at some time.

• Female adolescents use harmful albeit inexpensive methods for terminating their unwanted pregnancies.
• Both male and female adolescents are at risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)and HIV/AIDS due to unprotected sex.
• The larger context of poverty, lack of opportunities for education, and unemployment are major concerns for the adolescents and their parents.
• Most parents think that sexual and reproductive health education should be offered to adolescents. Abstinence and condom use are their preferred methods of protection for their adolescents.

These findings indicate the need to promote safer sexual and reproductive health behaviours among adolescents and young teachers.