Background Parent–adolescent discussion on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues leads to increased awareness on reproductive health matters and reduces risky behaviors among adolescents and also contributes to negative SRH outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess parent–adolescent discussion on SRH issues and its associated factors in Sawla town, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among parents of 10–19-year-olds in Sawla town from March to April 2020. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select 697 study subjects. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire, adapted from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic Health Survey and other published literature. The questionnaire consisted of questions about socio-demographic factors, knowledge about SRH issues, attitudes towards SRH issues, and discussions between parents and adolescents concerning SRH issues and was administered by face-to-face interviews p-value < 0.05 and 95%CI for adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were used to declare the significance of the associations. Results Of the total participants, 168 (25.7%) respondents had reported discussion about at least two components of SRH issues in the last 6 months prior to the study. Multiple logistic regression model revealed that attending primary education (AOR 3, 95% CI: 1.10, 7.70), secondary education (AOR 9, 95% CI: 3.87, 20.64) and diploma and above (AOR 22.33, 95% CI: 9.49, 32.56), monthly income of above 2000 Ethiopian Birr (AOR 2.40, 95% CI: 1.30, 4.55), good knowledge (AOR 2, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.50)and positive attitude (AOR 4, 95% CI: 1.57, 10) towards SRH issues were statically significant factors associated with increased parent–adolescent discussion about SRH. Conclusion The occurrence of parent–adolescent SRH discussion is low in Sawla town. Educational status, average monthly income, knowledge and attitude on SRH issues were major factors affecting parent–adolescent discussion on SRH issues. Continuous capacity building on SRH issues for parents to increase the level of parental knowledge and attitude about SRH issues and sustainable advocacy should be provided about the importance of parent to the adolescent discussion. Moreover, it is important to support and scale up the adult learning program to decrease the level of illiteracy.

Background: Parent-adolescent discussion on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues leads to increased awareness on reproductive health matters and reduces risky behaviors among adolescents and also is the base to reduce depraved reproductive health outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess parent-adolescent discussion on SRH issues and its associated factors in Sawla town, Southern Ethiopia, 2020. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted among parents in Sawla town from March to April 2020. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select 697 study subjects. Data were entered in to Epi-data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis. Variables with p-value less than 0.25 in bivariate analysis were entered into multiple logistic regression models to test for association with the dependent variable at 95 % confidence level (CI). P-value less than 0.05 and 95 % CI for adjusted odds ratios (AOR) were used to declare the significance of the associations with the outcome variable.Results: Of the total participants, 168 (25.7%) respondents had reported discussion about at least two components of SRH issues in the last six months prior to the study. Multiple logistic regression model revealed that parents who attended primary education (AOR 3, 95% CI: 1.10, 7.70), secondary education (AOR 9, 95% CI: 3.87, 20.64) and diploma and above (AOR 22.33, 95% CI: 9.49, 32.56), monthly income of above 2000 Ethiopian Birr (AOR 2.40, 95% CI: 1.30, 4.55), good knowledge (AOR 2, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.50)and positive attitude (AOR 4, 95% CI: 1.57, 10) towards SRH issues were statically significant with parent to adolescent discussion.Conclusion: The occurrence of parent-adolescent SRH discussion is low in Sawla town. Educational status, average monthly income, knowledge and attitude on SRH issues were major factors affecting parent-adolescent discussion on SRH issues. Continuous capacity building on SRH issues for parents to increase the level of parental knowledge and attitude about SRH issues and sustainable advocacy should be provided about the importance of parent to adolescent discussion. Moreover, it is important to support and scale up the adult learning program to decrease the level of illiteracy.