SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES UTILIZATION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BEDELE TOWN, WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Background: Adolescents and young person"s face numerous challenges related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including limited access to and utilization of sexual reproductive health services. This can lead to adverse health outcomes, such as unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and unsafe abortions. Understanding the factors influencing sexual reproductive health service utilization among secondary school students in Bedele town is essential for developing targeted interventions. Objective: This study aimed to assess the utilization of sexual reproductive health services and identify associated factors among secondary school students in Bedele town, Ethiopia. Methods: School based cross-sectional study design was conducted from June 15- July 15, 2024, among Bedele secondary school students. Systematic random sampling techniques were used to select a total of 298 respondents. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Collected data was checked for completeness, cleaned, coded and entered Epi data 3.1 and then the data was exported into SPSS version 26. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with utilization of Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) at P value < 0.05 level of statistical significance. Results: Out of 298 respondents, 127(42.6%) (95% CI:37,48) adolescents utilized sexual reproductive health services. Factors associated with utilization included place of residence (AOR = 2.159, 95% CI: 1.237, 3.767), access to Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) information (AOR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.231, 4.028), provider attitudes (AOR = 0.333, 95% CI: 0.149, 0.747), and service time convenience (AOR = 0.612, 95% CI: 0.372, 1.006) were significantly associate with utilization of SRH services. Conclusion and recommendation: This study results showed that there was low utilization of sexual reproductive health services in the last twelve months among high school students when compared with other studies. The most utilized services were Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) followed by sexual reproductive health Information Education and counselling services. Residential area, Exposing for sexual reproductive health (SRH) information, perceived attitude from the service provider and convenience of service time were factors significantly associated with Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) utilization. It is better to understand these factors, strengthen youth clubs and their interrelated influences is essential for developing effective interventions to improve reproductive health outcomes among students.