Iran is a young country, and sexual behavior is shaped in this period. This research aimed to provide an assessment tool to evaluate Iranian youth reproductive health. This multistage research was conducted to design a valid questionnaire in the domains of knowledge, attitude, and behavior of the youth in order to evaluate behavior change programs. For this reason, after conducting a careful literature review and a qualitative research, the questionnaire was prepared. Forward and backward translations were performed. Professionals and students were used to make sure of qualitative and quantitative content and face validity. After conducting the pilot study on 100 students and eliminating defects in performance, reliability was evaluated by test-retest and Cronbach’s alpha was calculated. In this study, out of 268 questions, 198 were retained after face and content validity. Self-efficacy of communication with father and mother, self-efficacy of condom use, and self-efficacy of abstinence had the highest Cronbach’s alpha. Moreover, communication with parents regarding reproductive health issues and attitude to abstinence had a high Cronbach’s alpha, as well. It seems to be a good instrument for assessment of Iranian reproductive health, and we are going to assess youth reproductive health in the future. 1. Introduction Iran is a relatively young country; according to the 2006 national census conducted by Statistical Centre of Iran, about 15.2% of the Iranian population (about 17,700,000 people) are in the age range 15–24 [1]. Young adults and adults comprise one of the high risk groups of every society [2]. Adolescence is the era of transition to adulthood and many individuals start sexual behaviors in adolescence which may result in negative outcomes such as teenage pregnancy, teenage parenthood, and sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS [3]. In 2000, about 20,000 young age pregnancies were reported in girls aged 10–14 which resulted in spontaneous abortion in 14%, live birth in 43%, and selective abortion in 43% [4]. On the other hand, AIDS is a health, social, and psychological crisis which has roots in high risk behaviors. It affects both adults and children as it could be stated that AIDS is now the problem of the young people of whom 85% live in developing countries [5, 6]. In Iran, also, the third wave of AIDS, which is sexual transmission, is increasing. According to a report from the Communicable Diseases Office of the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the number of the patients with sexually transmitted diseases (except for
References
[1]
“Publication information base statistical centre Of Iran,” http://amar.sci.org.ir/index_e.aspx.
[2]
G. Juan-Pablo and M. Stefan, “Sexual risk behavior among adolescence: the role of socioeconomic and demographic household characteristics,” in Global Forum for Health Research, Forum, Mexico City, November 2004.
[3]
K. Haglund, “Recommendations for sexuality education for early adolescents,” Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 369–375, 2006.
[4]
S. J. Ventura, J. C. Abma, W. D. Mosher, and S. Henshaw, “Estimated pregnancy rates for the United States, 1990–2000,” National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 52, no. 23, pp. 1–9, 2004.
[5]
H. Corner, C. Rissel, B. Smith et al., “Sexual health behaviours among Pacific Island youth in Vanuatu, Tonga and the Federated States of Micronesia,” Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 144–150, 2005.
[6]
M. J. Míguez-Burbano, I. De Pool, S. Hadrigan et al., “HIV knowledge and risk behaviors among women in law enforcement in Bogota, Colombia: potential role as community educators,” Journal of Urban Health, vol. 82, supplement 4, no. 3, pp. iv43–iv57, 2005.
[7]
Ministry of Health and Medical E, Know More About AIDS, Department of Health OoCaHE: Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 1384.
[8]
WHO, Reproductive Health Indicators For Global Monitoring: Report of Second Inter-Agency Meeting, vol. 2, WHO, 2000.
[9]
M. Mohammadi, S. Alikhani, K. Farahani , F. Abadi, and A. Bahonar, “Parents’ attitudes towards adolescent boy's reproductiven health needs and practice in Tehran,” Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 2, pp. 13–24, 2007.
[10]
F. Ramezanzadeh, F. Haghollahi, M. Shariat et al., “Reproductive health service centers for youth in Iran,” Journal of School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1–10, 2009.
[11]
C. Waltz and R. B. Bausell, Nursing Research: Design, Statistics, and Computer Analysis, F. A. Davis, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 1983.
[12]
C. Lawshe, “A quantitative approach to content validity,” Personal Psychology, vol. 28, pp. 563–575, 1975.
[13]
M. R. Mohammadi, K. Mohammad, F. K. A. Farahani et al., “Reproductive knowledge, attitudes and behavior among adolescent males in Tehran, Iran,” International Family Planning Perspectives, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 250–254, 2006.
[14]
L. M. Kaljee, M. Green, R. Riel et al., “Sexual stigma, sexual behaviors, and abstinence among vietnamese adolescents: implications for risk and protective behaviors for HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancy,” Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 48–59, 2007.
[15]
C. S. Zometa, Translation, Adaptation and Validation of an Instrument To Evaluate HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Attitudes for Use with Salvadorian High School Students, University of South Florida, 2004.
[16]
M. Silva and I. Ross, “Evaluation of a school-based sex education program for low income male high school students in Chile,” Evaluation and Program Planning, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 1–9, 2003.
[17]
S. C. Carvajal, G. S. Parcel, S. W. Banspach et al., “Psychosocial predictors of delay of first sexual intercourse by adolescents,” Health Psychology, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 443–452, 1999.
[18]
S. M. Skevington, “Advancing cross-cultural research on quality of life: observations drawn from the WHOQOL development,” Quality of Life Research, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 135–144, 2002.
