Motivation for seeking information and services associated to reproductive health among rural Peruvian young adults: Exploratory research from Tingo, Peru

The aim of this study is to identify what motivates and influences young adults, ages 18-24, to seek information and care related to sexual and reproductive health in one community in the Northern Peruvian Highlands. Subjects will enter voluntarily into one of ten focus group discussions, consisting of 5-8 participants, stratified by gender and being a parent or not. A maximum of 12 (or until saturation is reached) personal interviews will also be conducted and analyzed as a follow-up to the focus group discussions (FGD). The discussions will focus on barriers to care and primary concerns of the target population, the role of informal social networks, and identifying sources of reproductive health information. Based on findings related to information seeking behaviors of participants and their peers, recommendations for community-based improvements will be made. Each FGD and interview will be recorded, transcribed and analyzed by the research team using thematic coding. Moreover, after each of the FGDs, the facilitator and note-taker will condense their notes into a detailed summary of the discussion. Results will inform existing protocol and programming for adolescent health in the community and at a broader level.