Abstract:
Most youths in Songwe and Chunya Districts dropped out from school due to unplanned
pregnancies, and some are infected by sexually transmitted diseases. Thus, it was
assumed that, reproductive health information was not accessible to youths in the study
area. Data for the study were collected twelve years from the previous study on the
related title and topics. The aim was to study the trends on accessibility and utilisation of
reproductive health information among youths in the study area. The specific objectives
were to evaluate youths’ awareness on matters related to reproductive health, to identify
sources frequently consulted and factors constraining access. The study employed a
mixed method approach for data collection methods and analysis. Also, the study was
underpinned by Wilson’s (1999) model of information behaviour. A total of 128
respondents participated in the study through questionnaire, interview and focus group
discussion. Results show that most youths in the study had little awareness and access to
reproductive health information available in different sources. The mostly preferred
sources by youths were peers and friends followed by reading from published and
unpublished sources. Furthermore, the mostly accessed information was preventive
measures on sexually transmitted diseases. Hence, in conclusion, youths in the area had
little awareness and access to reproductive health information, and rarely used the rarely
accessed information. Therefore, for awareness creation on the matters and making sure
that youths use the accessed information, recommendations have been provided to
youths, parents, teachers and government.
