Exploring the Experiences of Community Health Nurses in Delivering Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Oredo and Ugbekun Communities

Abstract

Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (YFSRHS) have become increasingly important in addressing the sexual and reproductive health challenges confronting adolescents and young people globally, particularly in developing countries such as Nigeria. Despite national and international interventions aimed at improving access to adolescent reproductive healthcare, the utilization of YFSRHS remains low due to socio-cultural, institutional, economic, and health system barriers. Community health nurses constitute a critical component of primary healthcare delivery and are strategically positioned to provide accessible, confidential, and culturally sensitive reproductive health services to youths. However, limited empirical attention has been given to the experiences, challenges, and perceptions of community health nurses in delivering these services within semi-urban and rural Nigerian communities. This study therefore explores the experiences of community health nurses in delivering youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in Oredo and Ugbekun communities of Edo State, Nigeria. The study adopts a qualitative exploratory research design anchored on the Health Belief Model and Social Ecological Theory. Data are expected to be collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and observational methods involving community health nurses working in selected primary healthcare centres within the study communities. The study investigates nurses’ experiences regarding accessibility, confidentiality, cultural barriers, institutional support, communication with adolescents, availability of resources, and the influence of community norms on service delivery. Findings from previous literature indicate that community health nurses face multiple challenges including inadequate training, poor infrastructural facilities, cultural resistance, stigma associated with adolescent sexuality, shortage of reproductive health commodities, and insufficient policy implementation mechanisms. Nevertheless, nurses also demonstrate adaptive coping strategies through community engagement, peer education initiatives, and youth-centered counselling approaches. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on adolescent reproductive healthcare by providing context-specific evidence capable of informing policy reforms, strengthening healthcare delivery systems, and improving the effectiveness of YFSRHS in Nigeria. The paper recommends enhanced professional training for community health nurses, improved funding of youth-friendly health programmes, culturally responsive sexuality education, stronger policy implementation frameworks, and increased community participation in adolescent reproductive health interventions. The study further emphasizes the need for integrated and youth-sensitive healthcare systems capable of addressing the reproductive health needs of young people in marginalized communities.