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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 1
Publication Date: January 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.101.13888.
Rashid, S., Rahman, S., Mahejabin, A., & Abedin, M. (2023). Reproductive Health Knowledge and Care Seeking Behavior of
Bangladeshi School Going Adolescent Girls: A Qualitative Study in A Demajani Village Area of Bogura District. Advances in Social
Sciences Research Journal, Vol - 10(1). 434-439.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Reproductive Health Knowledge and Care Seeking Behavior of
Bangladeshi School Going Adolescent Girls: A Qualitative Study in
A Demajani Village Area of Bogura District
Sarawat Rashid
Rural Development Academy
Md. Siddiqur Rahman
Department of Sociology (University of Rajshahi)
Andalib Mahejabin
Rural Development Academy
Maupiya Abedin
Rural Development Academy
ABSTRACT
The cultural context in Bangladesh generally discourages adolescent from giving
opinions, speaking up or questioning adults. So, their needs and vulnerabilities are
often unaddressed and adolescent friendly services still unfamiliar concepts. In
such cultural context, adolescent girls’ reproductive knowledge and healthcare
seeking behaviour is important. Improper and delay in seeking care may also result
in increased risk in the community. Understanding the pattern of healthcare- seeking behaviour could help public health practitioners and policy makers to
improve the healthcare system and health promotion strategies. The objectives of
the study were to unveil the adolescents’ girl knowledge on reproductive health. To
elicit the types of care adolescent girl sought when they get ill and to identify
determinates of the adolescent girl for seeking care. Focused group discussion and
in-depth interview was conducted with adolescent unmarried school going girls at
Demajani village under Bogura District in January 2023. The study followed by the
health belief model. Respondents were going through the mental and physical
changes as they were in adolescent stage. They leant about the reproductive health
from their female family members. They share their physical problems with the
peer group and tried to solve it by home remedies and then to the qualified doctor.
Choice of treatment was dependent on their perceived susceptibility and severity.
Respondents were depended on parent as they are unmarried. Their family was
motivated by the communities. Therefore, their treatment seeking actives
sometimes ignored the availability, affordability, and accessibility of the health
services.
INTRODUCTION
The world is now home to the largest cohort of adolescents in history – 1.3 billion people
between the ages of 10 and 19 reported by the United Nations. That is up 16 per cent of the
world's population [https://data.unicef.ord]. Bangladesh is no exception. Bangladesh currently
faces a demographic window of opportunity, a time at which the number of people in working
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435
Rashid, S., Rahman, S., Mahejabin, A., & Abedin, M. (2023). Reproductive Health Knowledge and Care Seeking Behavior of Bangladeshi School Going
Adolescent Girls: A Qualitative Study in A Demajani Village Area of Bogura District. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, Vol - 10(1). 434-
439.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.101.13888
age group is high and the number of dependent [very young and elderly] is low. With the name
Bangladesh there is a deep link of youth. According to UNFPA [United Nations Population Fund]
estimates, the 15 to 24-year-old population is 20 percent of the country's total population
[https://bangladesh.unfpa.org].
According to the country profile of Bangladesh prepared by UNICEF [United Nations Children's
Fund] stated that adolescents are subjected to a lot of violence and harassment due to the vices
of a highly patriarchal society. Backward classes, ethnic groups, religious minorities and the
disabled suffer more discrimination. Rapid urbanization has also reduced basic services for
adolescents in urban areas and slums. Due to climate change, Bangladesh is highly prone to
disasters like floods and cyclones. In such situations, child labor, trafficking and child marriage
are seen to increase. They are at increased risk of rape and other harassment in shelters during
crises and disasters. A large section of this youth population is deprived of educational
opportunities. As a result, they risk getting stuck in a cycle of low-paid work. Adolescents in this
country have a high rate of pregnancy but do not have much knowledge about reproductive
health and nutrition due to lack of access to health services [www.unicef.org].
Management and planning for this youth will determine whether this vast youth is actually the
country's strength, potential, or burden. The demographic dividend that we are talking about,
we can enjoy the proper benefits of that dividend only if we use their potentialities. Bangladesh
has progressed in many development indicators, but how promising is the progress in
reproductive health? As an example, child marriage, we have Act for protecting it but child
marriage has increased alarmingly during this COVID period [www.prothomalo.com].
Adolescent reproductive health is inextricably linked with child marriage. Every child marriage
means the death of a life of prosperity.
Adolescents experience a transition period between childhood and adulthood with significant
mental and physical growth and development. The cultural context in Bangladesh generally
discourages adolescent from giving opinions, speaking up or questioning adults. We can also
mention about menstruation it is like a forbidden word. So, their needs and vulnerabilities are
often unaddressed and still adolescent friendly services continue to be unfamiliar concepts
[www.equality.org].
In such cultural context, adolescent girls’ reproductive knowledge and healthcare seeking
behaviour is important. Improper and delay in seeking care may also result in increased risk
in the community. Understanding the pattern of healthcare-seeking behaviour could help
public health practitioners and policy makers to improve the healthcare system and health
promotion strategies.
OBJECTIVES
1. To unveil the adolescents’ girl knowledge on reproductive health.
2. To elicit the types of care adolescent girl sought when they get ill.
3. To identify determinates of the adolescent girl for seeking care.
METHODS
For the data collection FGD [Focused group discussion] and in-depth interview was conducted
at Demajani village under Bogura District [Administrative area of a country or city, especially
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 1, January-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
one characterized by a particular feature or activity]. The distance of the village from the main
city was approximately 19-20 km. approximate population was 1600. Married [male: 600,
female: 500]. Unmarried [male: 300, female: 200]. Adolescents’ girls 250 among them 100 were
married and 150 were unmarried. Respondent were selected 50 schools going unmarried
adolescent girls for the data collection purpose. In-depth interview was conducted until the
data saturation. Informed consent was approved by the schoolteachers and from the
respondents. Data was collected January 2023. To address the study objectives data was
collected by following the health belief model by Rosentock and Strecher
[https://books.google.com].
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH KNOWLEDGE OF RESPONDENTS
As defined by the World Health Organization, reproductive health is a holistic system of
complete physical, mental and social well-being related to the reproductive system at every
stages of life. Reproductive health refers to the knowledge that a person can have a satisfying
and safe sex life and be able to reproduce [www.who.int]. Reproductive health care offered,
arranged, or furnished for the purpose of preventing pregnancy, terminating a pregnancy,
managing pregnancy loss, or improving maternal health and birth outcomes. Reproductive
health care is not limited to: contraception; sterilization; preconception care; maternity care;
abortion care; and counseling regarding reproductive health care [www.lawinsider.com].
Respondents were asked about what they understood by reproductive health. They mentioned
that reproductive health was the physical changes that occur during puberty. All the
respondents were unmarried and they knew proper age of marriage was 18 for female and 21
for the male but they could not relate reproductive health before puberty or the post-marriage
stage. The study found that respondents did not have the knowledge that reproductive system
at every stages of life. None of any mentioned mental and social well-being also related with
reproductive system. They did not know which components were included in reproductive
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Rashid, S., Rahman, S., Mahejabin, A., & Abedin, M. (2023). Reproductive Health Knowledge and Care Seeking Behavior of Bangladeshi School Going
Adolescent Girls: A Qualitative Study in A Demajani Village Area of Bogura District. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, Vol - 10(1). 434-
439.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.101.13888
healthcare services. Respondents were also asked how they learned about reproductive health.
They mentioned they learned it from the female members of the family including mother, elder
sister, cousins, and sister in law. They added that ideas about reproductive health were given
in school textbooks. However, many teachers felt uncomfortable teaching the subject in class.
Therefore respondents did not obtain complete knowledge on reproductive health from school.
TYPES OF TREATMENTS
Initiatives to address adolescent sexual and reproductive health [ASRH] in Bangladesh had
been implemented by both the Government of Bangladesh [GOB] and nongovernmental
organizations [NGOs]. For an example; UNICEF supported Bangladesh government in two ways
in this regard. First, UNICEF provided assistance to the government on specific issues such as
policy reform, strategy and plan formulation, and program development. Second, UNICEF
worked alongside the government and with other partners to build the capacity of health
workers, including taking steps to ensure adolescent-friendly health care in the country, with
special emphasis on districts with high rates of child marriage. The skills of key stakeholders
were needed to ensure the health, development, protection and participation of adolescents.
Recognizing this importance, UNICEF trained service providers and frontline workers with the
government. All these services were available at sub-district health complex
[www.redtimes.com.bd].
The study found respondents did not know where to receive the correct, necessary and service
information. Respondents usually felt comfortable sharing their physical problems with the
peer group and then female members of the family. They tried to cure their problems through
herbal medicine which they learnt from their older generation. In the study area there were
three untrained midwives they conducted home delivery before 10-15 years ago but now
villagers preferred medical or clinic for the delivery purpose. Those midwives now suggested
herbal and home remedy during pregnancy and other female health related problems.
Respondents avoid only sour food during menstrual time. Otherwise they took their regular
food. None of any respondents care about extra nutrition during menstruation or adolescent
age. In case of failure of herbal medicine they went to pharmacy. In the village there were ten
small pharmacies. They used to buy painkiller or medicine for acidity without prescription.
Respondents mentioned they felt pain in lower abdomen during menstruation. In the village
there was a village doctor. Village doctor completed a six months short medical training course
for rural medical practitioners [http://hrtdmi.com]. Village doctor and two MBBS [Bachelor of
Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery] offered weekly voluntary or low fees services at the village
pharmacy. In severe cases respondents went to seek treatment from them. Female felt free to
discuss their physical problems with a female than to male service providers.
UNICEF and Bangladesh government were working to ensure that the provision of sanitary
napkins in schools, provision of soap at hand washing stations. They distribute pamphlets on
health care. Besides this UNICEF was working with the government to purchase, distribute and
monitor the necessary equipment were properly implemented and was there awareness rising
among target group [www.redtimes.com.bd].
Respondents asked about menstruation management at school. They mentioned they usually
went to either the shop near by the school or to the female teachers of school for the sanitary