Perception and attitude of adolescents on utilisation of adolescent- friendly health services in junior high schools in cape coast circuit, Ghana

Abstract

Adolescent health problems are quite alarming and have daring consequences on public health globally. This study was designed to explore adolescents’ knowledge level, perception, and attitude of adolescent friendly health services (AFHS) on their utilization of the service in Cape Coast Circuit in Ghana. Frequency counts, percentage scores, and Chi-square were used to analyse the results. It was found that, the awareness level of adolescents in JHS, in the Cape Coast Circuit on AFHS is low (n = 214, 43.6%). The perceptions of the adolescents on the utilisation of the AFHS in Cape Coast Circuit centers are that staff at the AFH centers have adequate time for them (n = 379, 77.2%) and that they are friendly (n = 372, 75.8%). The main attitudes of the adolescents were that they would visit AFHS centers if the services were free (n = 432, 88%), and available within the community (n = 411, 83.7%). The study also showed that adolescents’ level of utilisation of AFHSs in Cape Coast Circuit is low (25.5%). None of the socio-demographic factors (gender and age) influences adolescent utilisation of AFHSs (P> .05).It was recommended that; school health education in corporation with community education should be strengthened on AFHS, healthcare providers should be encouraged to continue to be friendly and devote adequate time to their clients when they visit the AFHS centers. Health stakeholders should ensure that AFHSs are continuously free and accessible to adolescents. They should target adolescents irrespective of age, gender, religious and cultural affiliation to administer the services to them.