Salih Nigussie Ahmedin, Metaferia Henok, Reda Ayalu A, Biadgilign Sibhatu
Bureau of Finance & Economic Development, Population Affairs Core Process, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Sex Reprod Healthc. 2015 Mar;6(1):9-13. doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2014.06.004. Epub 2014 Jul 8.
Sexual activity can expose adolescents to the risks of unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS. This risk is magnified for girls. The objective of the study is to determine the magnitude and correlates of premarital sexual activity among unmarried female adolescents in northern Ethiopia.
The study employed a cross sectional study design conducted at comprehensive secondary school among unmarried female adolescents in Maichew town, northern Ethiopia. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression.
A total of 624 secondary and preparatory school never married female adolescents were included in this study. About 183 (29.3%) reported to have started sexual intercourse. Mean age at first sexual intercourse was 16.6 years (SD 1.81). About 38% of the girls reported that they had used condom at their last sexual activity. In multivariable analysis, older age, living with parents, parental residence, elder sister or friends who had started premarital sexual activity, and peer influence, were independently associated with sexual initiation.
The study of this finding clearly demonstrated that rural adolescents initiate sexual activity early with limited protection from infections and unintended pregnancies. Community and school based sexual health education is recommended.
性行为会使青少年面临意外怀孕、不安全堕胎以及包括艾滋病毒/艾滋病在内的性传播感染的风险。女孩面临的这种风险更大。本研究的目的是确定埃塞俄比亚北部未婚女性青少年婚前性行为的程度及其相关因素。
本研究采用横断面研究设计，在埃塞俄比亚北部迈丘镇的一所综合中学对未婚女性青少年进行调查。使用经过预测试的结构化问卷收集数据。采用描述性统计和多变量逻辑回归分析数据。
本研究共纳入624名从未结婚的中学和预科学校女性青少年。约183人（29.3%）报告称已开始性行为。首次性行为的平均年龄为16.6岁（标准差1.81）。约38%的女孩报告称在最近一次性行为中使用了避孕套。在多变量分析中，年龄较大、与父母同住、父母居住情况、有婚前性行为的姐姐或朋友以及同伴影响与开始性行为独立相关。
本研究结果清楚表明，农村青少年过早开始性行为，在预防感染和意外怀孕方面的保护措施有限。建议开展基于社区和学校的性健康教育。
