Reproductive health awareness among adolescents in Kazakhstan: a pre-post quasi- experimental study

Saule Bekenkyzy Derbisbek, Aigul Abduldayeva, Zaituna Khamidullina, Gulnur N. Doszhanova, Nurikamal Kurmanbek, Aigerim B. Ospanova

2026

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.3389/frph.2026.1770464
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by significant physical, psychological, and social changes, making reproductive health literacy essential for ensuring adolescents' well-being. Methods: A questionnaire-based pre-post quasi-experimental study conducted among adolescents aged 15-19 years in Astana during the 2024-2025 academic year. The questionnaire consists of 17-item assessing knowledge of contraception, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, puberty, and menstrual health. The same participants completed the questionnaire both before and after a single 90- minute educational intervention session, allowing for paired comparisons of knowledge gains. Results: A total of 180 students recruited from public and private schools in the capital City of Kazakhstan, Astana. The results showed significant gaps in reproductive health knowledge, with 53.3% of participants correctly identified contraceptive methods, and fewer than half demonstrated accurate understanding of STI prevention. Knowledge of puberty, secondary sexual characteristics, and menstrual health was similarly limited, with many students reporting anxieties or misconceptions. Most adolescents relied on the internet (52.2%) as their primary source of information, whereas parents and schools contributed minimally (both 23.3%). Despite these gaps, understanding of sexual consent was relatively high (90%). The educational intervention appeared to improve the overall reproductive health awareness, including STI prevention and recognition of normal developmental changes. Conclusion: Adolescents in Kazakhstan exhibited poor knowledge about reproductive health. This could be due to sociocultural norms and limited formal reproductive health education. The marked improvement following a brief educational session demonstrates the effectiveness of targeted interventions and highlights the importance of developing culturally tailored strategies to strengthen adolescent reproductive health literacy.