Sexual and reproductive health among youth in Bihar and Jharkhand

Sexual and reproductive health among youth in Bihar and Jharkhand:
An overview of the sexual and reproductive health of young people in India Authors: S. J. Jejeebhoy Publisher: Economic and Political Weekly, India, 2007
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This article published in Economic and Political Weekly is the first of a series of papers that explores the sexual and reproductive health situation among young people in Bihar and Jharkhand, India. It highlights positive changes in the sexual and reproductive health situation in India including declining infant mortality, increased access to skilled attendance at birth, and declining unmet need for contraception. However, the country is also experiencing stagnating levels of maternal mortality, an increase in the spread of sexually transmitted infections, most notably HIV, and the misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques for sex selection. The paper shows that Bihar and Jharkhand lag behind other states in most indicators of sexual and reproductive health. Compared to other states in India, women marry early, are less likely to use contraception and less likely to have access to pregnancy related care. Key conclusions of the series include:
young people engage in unsafe sex and are vulnerable to risky sexual and reproductive health outcomes
lack of awareness, social support and access to appropriate services are key factors that inhibit safe practices and prompt treatment seeking
many socio-cultural and systematic obstacles deny women access to quality care, and judgemental and insensitive provider attitudes in public health facilities deters women from seeking care in these facilities