Page 9 - Technical Report: ADOLESCENT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN MALAYSIA: A SCOPING REVIEW

2.0 OBJECTIVES
This study aims to identify evidence on adolescent sexual and reproductive health in
Malaysia.

2.1 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The following are the specific objectives of this review:
a) To identify trends and outcomes in Malaysian adolescent sexual and reproductive
health.
b) To identify the factors associated with adolescent sexual and reproductive health in
Malaysia.
c) To assess adolescent sexual and reproductive health knowledge and attitudes.
d) To identify adolescent sexual and reproductive health intervention strategies in
Malaysia.

3.0 DEFINITION

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH), adolescents, and sexual behaviour are among the
main concepts in this review.

3.1 Sexual and reproductive health

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is defined by the United Nations Sexual and
Reproductive Health Agency (UNFPA) (UNFPA, n.d.) as a condition of complete physical,
mental, and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. This
definition also includes healthy sexual and reproductive health, which implies that people
can have a healthy and comfortable sexual life, have the ability to reproduce, and have
the freedom to choose if, when, and how frequently to do so. In a broader sense, this
definition implies that in order to preserve one's sexual and reproductive health, people
must have access to accurate information as well as a safe, effective, accessible, and
accepted method of contraception of their choice.

This review is also based on Nkata et al. 2019 conceptual definitions of adolescents'
sexual and reproductive health, which include condom use, sexual partners, sexual debut,
contraceptive prevalence, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, and
abortion, as well as knowledge about reproductive health.

3.2 Adolescent
Adolescents are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2018) as those
individuals between the ages of 10 and 19.

3.3 Sexual behaviour

Sexual behaviour refers to a broad range of behaviours in which humans display their
sexuality as a means of ensuring reproduction and fulfilling human genetic inheritance, as
well as the degree of restraint or other types of influence exerted on the individual by
society on the expression of their sexuality (Gebhard, n.d.). While LPPKN (2014), defined
sexual behaviour in terms of a wide range of petting behaviours and involvement in
premarital sex (LPPKN, 2014).

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