Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in india
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Answer:
In a country like India wherein adolescents (aged 10-19 years) represent over one fifth of the population, the health consequences of neglect of their reproductive health needs takes on enormous proportions. Adolescent reproductive health is poorly understood and ill served in India. While national strategies and programmes have focused on children and pregnant women, neither services nor research has focused on adolescent health and information needs with overall perspective. The objective of the current paper is to focus on the reproductive health profile of adolescents in India, the burning issues in adolescent reproductive and sexual health which still serve as a challenge in the way of bringing about reproductive well being of the adolescent and to explore the various opportunities that would be of further help to overcome these challenges in improvising the quality of adolescent reproductive health care services . These challenges include the consequences of early marriage, unsafe abortions, high risk behaviour, lack of awareness about contraception and reproductive health issues, RTIs'/STIs' including HIV/AIDS and non-consensual sex. The programme managers have ample opportunities to address these challenges with the main focus of raising awareness about reproductive health issues, making the adolescent health services friendly and accessible and encouraging involvement of the teachers, parents , community leaders and last but not the least-involve the adolescents themselves.
In a country like India wherein adolescents (aged 10-19 years) represent over one fifth of the population, the health consequences of neglect of their reproductive health needs takes on enormous proportions. Adolescent reproductive health is poorly understood and ill served in India. While national strategies and programmes have focused on children and pregnant women, neither services nor research has focused on adolescent health and information needs with overall perspective. The objective of the current paper is to focus on the reproductive health profile of adolescents in India, the burning issues in adolescent reproductive and sexual health which still serve as a challenge in the way of bringing about reproductive well being of the adolescent and to explore the various opportunities that would be of further help to overcome these challenges in improvising the quality of adolescent reproductive health care services . These challenges include the consequences of early marriage, unsafe abortions, high risk behaviour, lack of awareness about contraception and reproductive health issues, RTIs'/STIs' including HIV/AIDS and non-consensual sex. The programme managers have ample opportunities to address these challenges with the main focus of raising awareness about reproductive health issues, making the adolescent health services friendly and accessible and encouraging involvement of the teachers, parents , community leaders and last but not the least-involve the adolescents themselves.