Unmet reproductive health needs of adolescents: implications for HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa

The foundations for sexuality, reproductive health and gender relations are laid very early in life and these are influenced by the interplay of socio-cultural and economic factors, peer-pressures, mass media influences and familial forces which impinge on the lives of adolescents in the society. Adolescents of today constitute one of the most dynamic human resource bases. Unfortunately, they are missing out in the area of education about sexual and reproductive health. This is despite their strong desire to participate in activities geared towards their reproductive health and social development needs. Adolescence according to WHO is the period of progression from the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics (puberty) to sexual and reproductive maturity, the development of adult mental processes and adult identity as well as the transition from total socio-economic dependence to relative independence. Adolescents are aged 10 to 19 years and they constitute 20 per cent of the world’s population. This sheer size of the adolescent population should justify seriously addressing adolescent health issues, but this is not the case in developing countries