Youth awareness about the concept of “reproductive health” and attitudes to it

Introduction. Youth’s family values and reproductive attitudes, which are formed under the influence of many factors, including age, sex, health status and psychological characteristics, social environment, religion, need to be shaped. Reproductive attitudes influence the reproductive behavior, and therefore, the reproductive health, the protection of which is under special state control. Objective. Based on the analysis of questionnaires, to assess the state of reproductive attitudes of visitors of Saint-Petersburg Center for Adolescent Reproductive Healthcare “Juventa” and students of the Pavlov University. Methods and materials. An online survey was conducted in the period of 2024. It consisted of 713 respondents (610 women and 103 men) aged from 16 to 24, who were visitors of Saint-Petersburg Center for Adolescent Reproductive Healthcare “Juventa” and students of the Pavlov University. A comparative analysis of the survey results was performed. Results. Reproductive attitudes are mostly positive, which is reflected in the importance and responsibility for health, future parenthood, and readiness to take on responsibilities for the upbringing and participation in the development of future children. An important factor in maintaining reproductive health is knowledge on the psychology of reproductive relations, family planning, legal issues, orientation to the own opinion when making decisions about the health, the desire to receive reliable information from specialists from early adolescence and from an online resource (convenient sites, applications, resources made to host materials about reproductive health taking into account sex and age characteristics). Conclusions. The most important information contributing to the formation of youth’s reproductive attitudes aimed at preserving reproductive potential is knowledge on family planning, responsible parenthood, and family values, which emphasizes the need to develop preventive programs including educational activities adapted for youth, taking into account age, psychological and social characteristics, modern technologies and capabilities.