The Utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Among Young Males in Indonesia: Does Their Knowledge of Reproductive Health Matter?

Abstract

A B S T R A C T Ensuring the availability of sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents is essential to provide accurate sexual and reproductive health- related information in order to decrease the prevalence of early marriage and premarital sex as well as its outcomes. This study aims to examine the association of reproductive health knowledge and other factors among young males in Indonesia with the use of sexual and reproductive health services. The unit analysis used was 12,612 never-married men aged 15–24. Among respondents, 45% of them had poor knowledge of reproductive health, and 90.4% respondents used the services poorly. Using binomial logistic regression, this study finds that those who had good knowledge of reproductive health, were from a younger age group, had higher education level, were exposed to newspapers, magazines, and the internet, and had a discussion about reproductive health utilized the services better than their counterparts. Providing adolescent-friendly services with both providers and comfortable places in schools, primary health care, and community- based services and also increasing the involvement of teachers, health providers, and religious or community leaders in the services are expected to make the services more accessible for young males and raise their awareness about sexual and reproductive health matters