Heliyon (Jan 2025)
Self-reported reproductive morbidity and healthcare-seeking practices of adolescent girls in migrant Rohingya community in Bangladesh
Abstract
It is crucial to address the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) disparity of adolescent girls for better health outcomes and quality of life, particularly in humanitarian crises. Adolescent girls in the Rohingya refugee camp are particularly vulnerable to various health morbidities related to SRH. The study aims to assess the reproductive health morbidity and healthcare-seeking practices of adolescent girls in the Rohingya community. A total of 406 Rohingya adolescent girls in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, were interviewed to collect relevant information. The respondents were asked to report their menstruation-related problems, morbidities, anemia signs, and healthcare-seeking behavior during these problems. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association of socio-demographic variables with menstruation-related outcome variables and healthcare-seeking behavior. Among adolescent girls, 26.1 % experienced abnormal bleeding durations, 28.1 % reported irregular menstruation, 27.8 % faced menstruation-related morbidities, and 36 % showed signs of anemia. Almost half of the respondents (49.3 %) received healthcare from health professionals. The married adolescent girls were less likely to have an abnormal duration of bleeding (AOR: 0.38, 95 % CI: 0.19–0.74, p = 0.004) and irregular menstruation (AOR: 0.44, 95 % CI: 0.23–0.86, p = 0.016). The higher educational level of the adolescent girls contributed to the lower risk of abnormal duration of bleeding (AOR: 0.55, 95 % CI: 0.33–0.91, p = 0.020) and irregular menstruation (AOR: 0.61, 95 % CI: 0.37–1.00, p = 0.049). Those with abdominal and lower back pain were found more likely (AOR: 3.02, 95 % CI: 1.58–5.77, p = 0.001) to seek healthcare from qualified doctors. Moreover, educated adolescent girls were more likely (AOR: 1.81, 95 % CI: 1.09–3.02, p = 0.023) to seek treatment for reproductive problems from qualified doctors. Thus, the concerned authorities, non-government organizations (NGOs), and humanitarian organizations could take steps to reduce reproductive health morbidity and facilitate receiving medical care from a specialist.
