NHC Key Laboratory of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies), Fudan University, 779 Old Hu Min Road, Shanghai, 200237, China.
Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control & Prevention, 1380 West Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200336, China.
Reprod Health. 2023 Jun 6;20(1):84. doi: 10.1186/s12978-023-01625-9.
Youth with disabilities have the same right to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) as their peers without disabilities. However, their needs and rights are often ignored. Little is known about the knowledge, needs and access barriers related to SRH information among youth with different types of disabilities in China.
A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 473 unmarried youth aged 15-24 with visual, hearing, physical disabilities in both urban and rural areas in China.
Out of a maximum possible score of 100, respondent's median score ranged from 30 to 50 for knowledge related to sexual physiology, STIs/HIV/AIDS and contraception. For these three categories of knowledge, respondents with hearing and physical disabilities or from rural areas scored lower than their counterparts with visual disabilities or from urban areas. The multivariate analyses showed that the residential area and education level were strong correlates of knowledge among respondents with visual and hearing disabilities. Other significant correlates were age for respondents with visual impairment and physical impairment, and single child status in the family and father's education level for respondents with hearing impairment. Sources of and barriers and preferences in accessing SRH information differed by type of disabilities, residential areas and gender. In general, school teachers were the primary and most preferred sources of SRH knowledge, followed by the Internet, peers/friends and parents. Unaware of where to get accurate information and feeling embarrassed to seek information were the two most frequently mentioned barriers in accessing SRH information.
Respondents had poor knowledge of SRH and limited access to SRH information, especially those from rural areas. Efforts should be made to promote school and family-based sexuality education tailored for youth with different types of disabilities.
残疾青年享有与非残疾同龄人相同的性与生殖健康(SRH)权利。然而,他们的需求和权利往往被忽视。在中国,关于不同类型残疾青年与 SRH 信息相关的知识、需求和获取障碍知之甚少。
在中国城乡地区对 473 名 15-24 岁未婚的视障、听障和肢体残疾青年进行了横断面调查。
在性生理、性传播感染/艾滋病和避孕相关知识的 100 分满分中,受访者的中位数得分在 30 到 50 分之间。在这三个类别的知识中,听障和肢体残疾青年或来自农村地区的青年比视障青年或来自城市地区的青年得分更低。多变量分析表明,城乡地区和教育水平是视障和听障青年知识水平的重要相关因素。其他显著相关因素包括视力障碍青年的年龄和身体障碍青年的独生子女状况,以及听力障碍青年的父亲教育水平。获取 SRH 信息的来源、障碍和偏好因残疾类型、居住地区和性别而异。一般来说,学校教师是 SRH 知识的主要和首选来源,其次是互联网、同龄人和朋友以及父母。不知道在哪里可以获得准确的信息以及寻求信息感到尴尬是获取 SRH 信息的两个最常提到的障碍。
受访者对 SRH 的知识了解甚少,获取 SRH 信息的途径有限,尤其是来自农村地区的受访者。应努力为不同类型的残疾青年开展基于学校和家庭的性教育。