Web 2.0 Technologies for Accessing Reproductive Health Information Amongst the Youth in Kenya
Nancy W. Macharia1, Hellen M Kinoti2, Geoffrey Serede3
1Nancy W. Macharia, Lecturer, School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT), JKUAT, Kenya.
2Hellen M Kinoti, Dean, School of Communication and Development Studies, JKUAT, Kenya.
3Dr. Geoffrey Serede, Dean, School of Science and Technology, Department of Information Sciences, Kenya Methodist University, Kenya.
Manuscript received on August 02, 2018. | Revised Manuscript received on August 15, 2018. | Manuscript published on August 30, 2018. | PP: 13-19 | Volume-5 Issue-8, August 2018. | Retrieval Number: H1263085818
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© The Authors. Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: As young people pass through puberty and adolescence, health needs related to sexual and reproductive health arise. Adolescents and youth have been perceived to have few health needs and little income to access to health services. As a result, they have generally been neglected by the health systems. In Kenya, inadequate dissemination and implementation of existing policies have further hampered the successful implementation of adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) programs. If left out, the youth will lack of information may result in behaviors that may affect their future lives. Several attempts have been made by the government and another stakeholder to ensure adequate dissemination of reproductive health information to the youth; however, due to limited resources, the information is still inadequate. With web 2.0 technologies wide adoption by the youth, these technologies can be harnessed to fill the gap. This study sought to find the use of web 2.0 technologies in the provision of the of reproductive health information to the youth. The study found out that Facebook is the most widely used web 2.0 technology followed by WhatsApp. the study also found out that as much as the technologies have a potential in reaching the youth, caution must be exercised not to expose the youth to security breaches while online.
Keywords: Web 2.0, Social Networking Sites, Reproductive Health, Preference.