THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY ADOLESCENTS TO ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INFORMATION AND SERVICES IN THE TAMALE METROPOLIS

Abstract

Approximately half of the global population possesses a mobile phone, and 42% access the internet. Social media is one of the variables affecting sexual behavior among teenagers in today's society. This study was conducted to assess the contribution of social media usage to adolescent reproductive health services in the Tamale metropolis of the Northern Region of Ghana. The study design was a mixed method approach thus, qualitative and quantitative study design (cross- sectional study design and focus group discussion). The study included adolescents in Senior High Schools within the Tamale metropolis of the Northern Region of Ghana. A semi-structured questionnaire was used and a focus group discussion was used to gather information on the barriers to social media usage. The qualitative data collected was analyzed using content analysis whiles the quantitative data were analyzed using STATA 16.0, chi-square test of association, and binary logistic regression at a 5% significance level. The study findings were, out of the 342 students studied, 45.4% - 95% indicated they have ever accessed reproductive health information through social media. Out of the total students studied, 98.3% were between 15 – 19 years of age. About two-thirds, 68.7% of students were females. The odds of accessing reproductive health services via social media were 62% times higher among male students. Students who resided in urban areas had 55% higher odds of accessing reproductive health services via social media. Challenges faced when using social media to access reproductive health information included; wrong information, lack of internet bundle, and network failure. In conclusion, despite the high utilization of social of reproductive health services, there is still a low utilization of social media by adolescents to access adolescent reproductive health services in the Tamale metropolis.