Adolescents Aged 10–14 Years' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Qualitative Study

Published: July 17, 2025
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Abstract

The World Health Organisation defines adolescent age as 10–19 years, with 10–14 years being the early stage of the adolescent period. With changing global trends and more open attitudes towards sexuality, early pregnancy, abortion, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases have become major threats to the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents of all ages. The period between the ages of 10 and 14 is the golden age of life, a stage of rapid growth and development, cognitive change, and attitude formation. Adolescents in this stage have physiological, psychological, and period specificity. Adolescents' knowledge and attitudes towards sexual and reproductive health during this stage will have a profound impact on their long-term health and well-being in the future. In addition, the current trend of early puberty among adolescents not only leads to earlier sexual maturity and sexual activity, but also increases health risks. Adolescents in this age group should therefore be a key focus of current sexual and reproductive health initiatives. Although research on adolescent sexual and reproductive health has increased in recent years, studies targeting early adolescents aged 10–14 remain a weak area. This further highlights the importance of conducting in-depth assessments of sexual and reproductive health among adolescents aged 10–14. This study employs a descriptive qualitative research method to gain an in-depth understanding of the cognitive perceptions and attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health among adolescents aged 10–14 years, with the aim of identifying the cognitive perceptions, attitudes, and potential influencing factors related to sexual and reproductive health during this critical developmental stage. Through an in-depth analysis of the inner world and true thoughts of adolescents during this period, this study will provide theoretical basis and practical guidance for the formulation of targeted sexual and reproductive health education strategies. This is of great practical significance for promoting the healthy growth of adolescents and preventing the occurrence of sexual and reproductive health issues.

Published in Abstract Book of MEDLIFE2025 & ICBLS2025
Page(s) 40-40
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access abstract, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Adolescents, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Cognition, Attitudes, Qualitative Study