One proposed strategy to improve youth health is needs assessment, a process for determining and addressing needs of individual groups. The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes and perceptions of Iranian university students toward reproductive health need to promote the provision of reproductive health services.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 548 students randomly selected from eight universities in Sari city, Iran, using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Topics covered the participants' attitudes towards reproductive health needs as well as their opinion about proper source of information in this area in 5 Likert- scale type.

Mean age of participants was 21.57 years and 57.82% were female. The maximum score of reproductive health needs in point of view of participants was related to “be informed about appropriate behavior with my spouse” and the majority of students (82.82%) supported family-based reproductive health education with emphasis on mothers' role. Although 65.14% of participants agreed that “when a young has been raped, it's better that she/he counsel with her/ his family, 11.67% of them stated that she/he must hide the problem. Finally, we found that 60.40% of students preferred someone in a health care center explain how to use any contraception which may be provide for them.

Taken as a whole, these findings support the critical importance of programming for university students as part of a comprehensive strategy to improve the health and development of young adult.