Expanding access to comprehensive reproductive health and HIV information and services for married adolescent girls in Nyanza Province

The objectives of this operations research study, conducted by the Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project in Kenya, were to: 1) identify and design a set of interventions that promote the uptake of comprehensive reproductive health (RH)/family planning (FP) and HIV prevention services and information among married adolescent girls; and 2) expand access to comprehensive RH/FP and HIV prevention services and information among this population. The study demonstrated that the combined use of interactive media and community health worker visitation, health information provision, and referrals, is an effective means of reinforcing RH/FP and HIV messages, and of increasing access to RH/FP and HIV information and services among married girls in rural settings. This method is particularly effective in expanding married adolescent girls’ access to family planning, antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care services, and in expanding spousal support for accessing these services. The report outlines some primary recommendations for improving these services