Sexual Health

Impact of reproductive health intervention on awareness of sexual and reproductive health service among adolescents in the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions of Ghana.

TL;DR

Using the KAP mobile app can help increase sexual and reproductive health knowledge among teenagers, with statistically significant improvement in scores after completing learning modules.

Key Findings

A total of 386 adolescents downloaded the KAP app and attempted pre- and post-module quizzes, generating 1,040 quiz attempts in total.

  • Participants were adolescents from the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions of Ghana.
  • Invitations to download the app were distributed via social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
  • Users collectively attempted 1,040 quizzes from the quiz participation snapshot data.

Average SRH knowledge scores increased significantly after completing the learning modules on the KAP app.

  • The overall average pre-module SRH score was 67.98 (SD = 26.597).
  • The overall average post-module SRH score was 73.66 (SD = 25.142).
  • The difference represents an increase of approximately 5.68 points after completing the learning modules.
  • A paired samples t-test was used to compare pre- and post-module scores.

The difference between pre- and post-module SRH scores was statistically significant.

  • The paired samples t-test result was t(182) = -2.58, p = 0.010.
  • The paired samples analysis included 183 participants who completed both pre- and post-module assessments.
  • The result indicates that completion of the KAP app learning modules was associated with improved SRH knowledge scores.

The KAP (Knowledge and Access Power) mobile platform was designed specifically to assess SRH awareness and knowledge among adolescents.

  • The KAP app was a purpose-built mobile application for assessing SRH awareness and knowledge.
  • The app included learning modules followed by quizzes to measure knowledge before and after content exposure.
  • Distribution relied entirely on social media invitation rather than in-person recruitment.

What This Means

This research suggests that a mobile phone app called the KAP (Knowledge and Access Power) app can be an effective tool for improving what teenagers know about sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The study was conducted in two regions of Ghana — Greater Accra and Eastern Region — where 386 adolescents downloaded the app after seeing invitations on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter. Participants completed quizzes before and after working through educational modules on the app, allowing researchers to measure whether knowledge improved. The results showed that average quiz scores rose from about 68 out of 100 before the modules to about 74 out of 100 afterward, and this improvement was statistically significant — meaning it was unlikely to be due to chance. This suggests the app's educational content genuinely helped adolescents learn more about sexual and reproductive health topics. This research matters because adolescents in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, often have limited access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education. The findings suggest that mobile technology and social media distribution could be a practical, scalable way to reach teenagers with health information without requiring physical clinics, schools, or community programs. However, the study had a relatively small sample and relied on self-selection by users who chose to download the app, so further research with broader populations would help confirm these findings.

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Citation

Thompson R, Afaya A, Yeboah I, Agbadi P, Thompson T, Agbadi W, et al.. (2025). Impact of reproductive health intervention on awareness of sexual and reproductive health service among adolescents in the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions of Ghana.. BMC research notes. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-025-07564-x