The Effect of Peer Group Education on Adolescent Girls’ Knowledge and Attitude Towards Reproductive Health and Unwanted Pregnancy Prevention

Abstract

Reproductive health includes the right of men and women to have access to and information about safe, effective, valid and acceptable methods of family planning and other legal methods of fertility control, and the right to obtain them adequately. Adolescent pregnancy is one of the risk factors that increase maternal morbidity and mortality. In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adolescents have an important role in reducing maternal mortality through increasing awareness of reproductive health. Although the global adolescent birth rate is decreasing, early pregnancy remains a public health challenge, especially among secondary school girls. This program aims to increase the knowledge and awareness of adolescent girls about reproductive health and prevention of unwanted pregnancies (KTD) through a peer-based educational approach. Activities are carried out through lectures, interactive discussions, PowerPoint presentations, educational video screenings, and leaflet distribution. Evaluation was carried out using pre-test and post-test methods to measure changes in participant knowledge. The results showed a significant increase in knowledge scores after the intervention, indicating that this approach was effective in increasing adolescent girls' understanding of reproductive health. The conclusion is that peer-based educational campaigns can be an effective strategy in shaping positive behavior and increasing adolescent awareness of reproductive health. Similar programs are recommended to be implemented sustainably through community service activities in the school environment.