The Influence Health Related Factors on the Utilization of Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Nakuru County, Kenya

There global drive towards support adolescents' sexual and reproductive health and rights, access to and use of these services among young people in low- and middle-income countries. However, the utilization of Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services remain inadequate, posing a major challenge to progress in this area.  This study aimed to examine the health related factors that may affect the utilization of Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services among youths in Nakuru County, Kenya. About two thirds (64%, n=340) of the sampled  youths  were affirmative to ever- used the Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services  which is considered suboptimal. The study established that utilization of Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services is significantly associated with three providers factors namely providers friendliness variable (p=0.000), respectful attitude variable (p=0.000) and providers’ active listening skills variable ( p=0.011).  The study  also demonstrated that utilization of Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services is significantly associated with two health system factors namely affordability of the service (p=0.001) and privacy and confidentiality variable (p=0.001). This study thus recommends that policies and programs to upscale the utilization of Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services should focus on refining the health providers’ attributes or disposition such as friendliness, respectful attitude and active listening skills. Additionally this study underscores the importance of repackaging the Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services to be affordable and offered in an aura of privacy and confidentiality.  Furthermore, the curriculums should include the peculiarities or sensitivity of Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in nursing or medical schools to mitigate on the provider gaps demonstrated. It is also imperative for the environment to be alive to the fact that the environment for provision of Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services be conducive, private and confidential. Key words: utilization, Youth Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services