ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Reprod. Health
Sec. Access and Barriers to Reproductive Health Services
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frph.2025.1562495
Sexual and reproductive health service utilization among podoconiosis patients in Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia: a multilevel mixed effect analysis
Provisionally accepted
- College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Sodo, Ethiopia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services are essential for promoting the wellbeing of individuals and communities. Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) is unattainable without ensuring equitable access to SRH services and upholding sexual and reproductive rights. Podoconiosis, a neglected tropical disease and non-filarial form of elephantiasis, is caused by prolonged barefoot exposure to irritant volcanic soils. Although SRH services have been increasingly integrated into primary health care systems in Ethiopia, people affected by podoconiosis continue to face substantial barriers in accessing these services due to stigma, mobility limitations, and socioeconomic constraints. In this context, the present study aimed to assess the utilization of SRH services and factors associated with their utilization among podoconiosis patients in the Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 836 podoconiosis patients in Wolaita Zone from November 12 to December 20, 2024. Multistage sampling was used to select participants, and data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with SRH service utilization. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05, and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Results: The study found that 154 respondents (18.4%; 95% CI: 16%, 21%) utilized SRH services within the past 12 months. Factors significantly associated with SRH service utilization included: age
Keywords: Sexual and reproductive health, Sexual and Reproductive health service utilization, Podoconiosis, utilization, Wolaita Zone
Received: 17 Jan 2025; Accepted: 23 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Abiso, Kerbo and Woticha. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Temesgen Lera Abiso, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Sodo, Ethiopia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.