Karim Ali Mehryar, Magnani Robert J, Morgan Gwendolyn T, Bond Katherine C
Department of International Health and Development, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Int Fam Plan Perspect. 2003 Mar;29(1):14-24. doi: 10.1363/ifpp.29.014.03.
In Ghana, as in many other Sub-Saharan African countries, the behaviors of the current cohort of adolescents will strongly influence the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This study sought to identify factors associated with elevated risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection among unmarried Ghanaian youth.
A nationally representative sample of 3,739 unmarried 12-24-year-olds were surveyed. Various regression techniques were used to assess the effects of individual and contextual factors on sexual behavior and condom use.
Forty-one percent of female and 36% of male youth reported being sexually experienced. On average, sexually experienced youth had had fewer than two partners; only 4% of these females and 11% of males had had more than one sexual partner in the three months before the survey. Although Ghanaian youth are knowledgeable about condoms, only 24% of sexually experienced males and 20% of females reported consistent condom use with their current or most recent partner. A sizable number of contextual factors and attributes of youth themselves were associated with sexual behaviors, while individual characteristics were stronger predictors of condom use.
The findings provide further justification for interventions targeting key contextual factors that influence youth behaviors in addition to providing youth with necessary communication, negotiation and other life skills.
与许多撒哈拉以南非洲国家一样，在加纳，当前这一代青少年的行为将对艾滋病毒/艾滋病疫情的发展产生重大影响。本研究旨在确定与加纳未婚青年怀孕和性传播感染风险升高相关的因素。
对3739名年龄在12至24岁的未婚青年进行了全国代表性抽样调查。使用了各种回归技术来评估个人和环境因素对性行为和避孕套使用的影响。
41%的青年女性和36%的青年男性报告有过性经历。平均而言，有性经历的青年性伴侣少于两个；在调查前三个月，这些女性中只有4%、男性中只有11%有不止一个性伴侣。尽管加纳青年对避孕套有所了解，但只有24%有性经历的男性和20%有性经历的女性报告在与当前或最近的伴侣发生性行为时始终使用避孕套。大量的环境因素和青年自身的特质与性行为有关，而个人特征是避孕套使用的更强预测因素。
研究结果为开展干预措施提供了进一步的依据，这些干预措施除了为青年提供必要的沟通、协商和其他生活技能外，还应针对影响青年行为的关键环境因素。
