The Sexual and Reproductive Health Concerns, Needs and Priorities of University Students in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Despite the efforts universities are putting in place to address the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns and needs of their students, the rate at which students are engaging in casual unprotected sex is reportedly high. This has resulted in increased rates of unsafe abortions and unintended pregnancies among the student population. It is against this background that this thesis sought to establish the SRH concerns, needs and priorities of university students in Nairobi County in Kenya. The Social Economic Model guided the study in understanding the problem while the Andersen and Newman Framework of Health Services Utilization guided the study in identifying possible solutions to the challenges identified. The targeted population was students studying in universities with main campuses in Nairobi County. Stratified random sampling was used to select the four public and private universities (Kenyatta University, Multimedia University of Kenya, United States International University - Africa and KCA University) which were part of the study. The study was guided by cross-sectional and exploratory research designs. The target population was 192,193 students. Stratified random sampling was used to select the three hundred and seventy (370) students who completed the study questionnaires. Sixteen key informants were purposefully selected to participate in-depth interviews while four focus group discussions (FGDs) of either gender were carried out. The study established that university students are most concerned about getting infected with HIV/AIDS followed by getting pregnant or impregnating someone. The study revealed that what the students need the most is access to condoms, pills and contraceptives for pregnancy prevention and youth friendly services. The study also revealed that university students prioritize confidentiality, the cost of SRH services and being attended by friendly healthcare providers in this order.