{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T23:31:24Z","timestamp":1786404684244,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786320000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1071\/journalslicense"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic widely disrupted access to sexual health care but little is known about how these disruptions were perceived by adolescents. We evaluated changes in adolescents\u2019 perceived difficulty accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare products and services during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We performed a cross-sectional analysis within an online longitudinal study of adolescents aged 13\u201317 years\u00a0(N\u00a0=\u00a01721) recruited between 2022 and 2023 (QuaranTeen Health). Participants rated perceived difficulty accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare products and services (i.e. birth control\/contraception, human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]\u00a0and other sexually transmitted infection [STI] testing, condoms, and appointments with healthcare providers [HCP]) for three time points: (1) before the pandemic; (2)\u00a0during the acute phase of the pandemic;\u00a0and (3) within the past 2\u00a0months using a 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Pre-pandemic, 30% (475\/1594) of participants reported perceived difficulty accessing birth control, 29% for condoms (462\/1591), 25% for HIV\/STI testing (400\/1588), and 17% for HCP appointments (294\/1685). Perceived difficulty accessing all services was higher during (vs before) the acute phase of the pandemic: 37% for both birth control (590\/1582) and condoms (589\/1578);\u00a038% (612\/1580) for HIV\/STI tests; and 42% for HCP appointments (701\/1668). Perceived difficulty accessing birth control and HIV\/STI tests persisted (38%, 424\/1107 and 37%, 410\/1095,\u00a0respectively). The perceived difficulty of getting condoms or an HCP appointment decreased (30%, 320\/1079 and 31%, 347\/1121, respectively) but remained higher than pre-pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic increased perceived difficulty in accessing sexual and reproductive health products and services, and these perceived difficulties may persist.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1071\/sh26029","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T23:25:48Z","timestamp":1786404348000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Adolescents\u2019 perceived difficulty in accessing sexual and reproductive health services before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2988-7755","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Julia C.","family":"Bond","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ADepartment of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA."},{"name":"BDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shira I.","family":"Dunsiger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CDepartment of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lynsie R.","family":"Ranker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5694-8392","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jacquelin","family":"Sauer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michele","family":"Ybarra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DCenter for Innovative Public Health Research, San Clemente, CA, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kimberly M.","family":"Nelson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA."},{"name":"EDepartment of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026081019254119200_R1","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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