Correlates of sexual initiation among never-married adolescents in Uganda

Abstract

It has been widely mentioned and empirically examined that a variety of individual characteristics of the adolescent have large independent effects on adolescents' sexual behavior, but also exercise net effects through intermediate variable. This study seeks to elucidate factors associated with sexual initiation among never-married adolescents in Uganda, with emphasis on differentials across sex. The study relates to institutional data sourced from the December 2005 Straight Talk Evaluation Survey (STES) consisting of 2,133 records (never-married adolescents) ages 10-19 years. The analysis was undertaken using cross-tabulation and the logistic regression.

Findings from the study revealed that nearly one in eight adolescents (12.2%) had ever had an experience in penetrative sexual or virginal intercourse. Their profile in the main was: similar proportion of male and females, median age of 15 years, strikingly from rural areas (75.4%), Christians (90.8%), living in a two-parent family structure (62.1%) and enrolled in primary (68.4%) and post-primary (18.1%) education levels.

In spite of variations, a number of the socio-demographic characteristics of adolescents particularly age, sex, religion, schooling status and residence were significantly associated with initiation of sexual intercourse. Multivariate results from logistic regression suggest that the odds of sexual initiation, controlling for the socio­ demographic variables, were significantly higher among adolescents participating at large as well as some extent in activities that predispose risky behavior, those with a relatively high level of knowledge about reproductive health and HIV issues, conspicuously among adolescents not exposed to media, while significantly lower among adolescents who were progressive in their attitudes towards pre-marital sex.

Encouraging, results of the study upheld existing literature to the effect that initiation of sexual intercourse varied with a number of socio-demographic characteristics as wen as knowledge, attitude and behaviors factors. Thus, interventions to ameliorate the adverse consequences of sexual initiation need to consider socio-demographic differentials particularly in age, sex, schooling status and religious affiliation; policies may consider campaigns targeting adolescents fitting the profile presented in the preceding paragraphs.

The study recommends control in exposure to risky behaviors through parental involvement, increased understanding of adolescence, sexuality and reproductive health through the various media channels, mandatory early sex education in all schools focusing on clarification of core values related to pre-marital sex as wen as establishment of programs at national, community and family levels to ensure that girl's education remains an urgent priority.