Assessment of sexual and reproductive health access among young married women in Nigeria using a national representative sample

Abstract Despite the critical roles of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services to overall well-being, Nigerian young married women still have limited access to SRH services. This cross-sectional design study examined the SRH services index among young married women in Nigeria using 9 indicators. Nigeria Demographic and Survey, 2018 data was accessed and analyzed (α0.05). Respondents’ mean age and SRH index score was 20.53±2.3 years and 5.38±1.94, respectively. The likelihood of Good SRH access was higher among the teenagers (aOR=3.042, 95% C.I=2.686-3.446, p<0.001) than those aged 20-24 years and 100.2% higher among those who have at least secondary education (aOR=2.002, 95% C.I=1.713-2.336, p<0.001) than those with at most primary education. Other predictors of good SRH access were region, ethnicity, religion, wealth index, and media access. Good SRH access was low among young married Nigerian women. A regional-specific intervention and media access to SRH information will improve their access to SRH services.