Population Council lauds RIPS’ research into contraception usage among young people

Country Director of the Population Council office in Ghana, Dr. Augustine Ankoma has lauded a research project undertaken by the Regional Institute of Population Studies into the use, non-use, and discontinuation of modern contraception among urban youth in Ghana.

He mentioned that it was a step in the right direction because it will address the growing concern of reproductive health among the youth, especially when transitioning into adulthood.

Dr. Ankomah said that there were not enough programmes that discuss the reproductive health of young people, especially the period between the later lives of adolescents and their adult stage.

Thus, he says this intervention will provide a wide array of solutions to some of the problems facing emerging adults in urban settlements.

”I think this is a very useful initiative, you know in Ghana there are a lot of interventions that address adolescent reproductive health needs. But we also realize that when adolescents transit from late teens to early adulthood, we don’t seem to have programmes that address their transition needs. So this initiative looks at that gap between late adolescent and early adulthood and tries to provide them with skills that will encourage them to take decision on sexual health.“ he commented.

In a bit to promote adolescent reproductive health, Dr. Ankomah highlighted that his outfit in collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Ghana Health Service will ensure that the reproductive health needs of adolescents and emerging adults are met and has advised other organizations to do same.

”As a country and for my organization we need to work together with the Ghana health service and other stakeholders to try and be sure the reproductive health needs of these young people are met” he opined.

BACKGROUND

On 26th September the regional Institute for population studies held a stakeholders meeting to deliberate on how to explore the use, non-use and discontinuation of modern contraception among urban youth in Accra, Ghana.

The research which is an enterprise of the Regional Institute for Population Studies; University of Ghana, focuses on contemporary health and development issues facing various categories of emerging adults in the urban setting.

The target population is sexually active emerging adults in the La Nkwantanang- Madina municipality who are between 18 and 24years of both sexes. The main classes of people are tertiary students, apprentices and informal workers within the madina environs.

According to RIPS, the study’s findings will contribute to the existing literature and policy to help understand and contraceptive prevalence among various groups of youth in Ghana.