School of Education, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Department of Health Promotion and Disability Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Jul 27;22(1):954. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08323-5.
The first world conference on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in 1994 helped create the awareness that reproductive health is a human right. Over the years, attempts have been made to extend services to all persons; however, lapses persist in service provision for all in need. Recently, countries have been encouraged to target minority groups in their reproductive health service provision. However, studies have rarely attempted to develop deeper insights into the experiences of deaf men and women regarding their knowledge of SRH. The purpose of this study was to develop an in-depth understanding of the knowledge of deaf persons regarding services such as knowledge of contraceptive methods, pregnancy and safe abortion practices.
A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was adopted for this study. In the first quantitative phase, 288 deaf persons recruited from three out of the 16 regions in Ghana participated in this study. They completed a 31-item questionnaire on the main issues (knowledge of contraceptive methods, pregnancy and safe abortion practices) addressed in this study. In the second phase, a semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data from 60 participants who took part in the first phase. The key trend emerging in the first phase underpinned the interview guide used for the data collection. While the quantitative data were subjected to the computation of means, t-tests, analyses of variance, correlations and linear regressions to understand the predictors, the in-depth interviews were analysed using the thematic method of analysis.
The results showed a convergence between the quantitative and qualitative data. For instance, the interview material supported the initial findings that deaf women had little knowledge of contraceptive methods. The participants offered reasons explaining their inability to access services and the role of religion in their understanding of SRH.
The study concludes by calling on policymakers to consider the needs of deaf persons in future SRH policies. The study limitations and other implications for future policymaking are discussed.
1994 年第一届世界性与生殖健康大会（SRH）帮助人们认识到生殖健康是一项人权。多年来，人们一直试图将服务扩大到所有人；然而，在为所有有需要的人提供服务方面仍存在疏漏。最近，各国被鼓励在生殖健康服务提供方面针对少数群体。然而，很少有研究试图深入了解聋人男女对 SRH 的了解。本研究旨在深入了解聋人对避孕方法、怀孕和安全堕胎实践等服务的了解。
本研究采用了顺序解释性混合方法。在第一定量阶段，从加纳 16 个地区中的 3 个地区招募了 288 名聋人参与了这项研究。他们完成了一份关于本研究主要问题（避孕方法、怀孕和安全堕胎实践知识）的 31 项问卷。在第二阶段，使用半结构化访谈指南从参与第一阶段的 60 名参与者中收集数据。第一阶段出现的主要趋势为访谈指南提供了依据。在对定量数据进行均值计算、t 检验、方差分析、相关性和线性回归以了解预测因素的同时，对深入访谈使用主题分析方法进行了分析。
结果显示定量和定性数据之间存在一致性。例如，访谈材料支持最初的发现，即聋人妇女对避孕方法知之甚少。参与者提供了解释他们无法获得服务的原因，以及宗教在他们对 SRH 的理解中的作用。
该研究最后呼吁政策制定者在未来的 SRH 政策中考虑聋人的需求。讨论了研究的局限性和对未来决策的其他影响。
