Kågesten Anna E, Kabiru Caroline W, Maina Beatrice, German Danielle, Blum Robert Wm
a Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore , MD , USA.
b African Population and Health Research Center , Nairobi , Kenya.
Cult Health Sex. 2018 Dec;20(12):1299-1316. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2018.1432765. Epub 2018 Mar 20.
The need for early prevention approaches to improve young people's sexual and reproductive health is gaining attention, yet little is known about the sexual experiences of early adolescents aged 10-14 years. Drawing on cross-sectional survey data collected from 365 early adolescents in a Nairobi slum, we used latent class analysis to identify subgroups based on self-reported awareness about sex and involvement in romantic and sexual activities. Multivariate regression models were fitted to examine the characteristics of each subgroup. Results revealed three subgroups: Involved (12%, high probability of being aware of sex and to have engaged in romantic/sexual activities); Observant (48%, high awareness but little own experience); and Naïve (40%, little awareness or personal experience). Being in the Involved group was associated with older age, having commenced puberty/orphanhood, and living in the least poor households. Findings suggest that while most early adolescents in this setting have not initiated romantic and sexual activities, there are distinct subgroups of who would not be captured by looking only at the prevalence of sexual intercourse. Understanding the characteristics and needs of specific subgroups may help to strengthen efforts to improve young people's sexual and reproductive health in urban poor environments.
采用早期预防方法改善青少年性与生殖健康的必要性正日益受到关注，但对于10至14岁早期青少年的性经历却知之甚少。利用在内罗毕一个贫民窟对365名早期青少年收集的横断面调查数据，我们运用潜在类别分析，根据自我报告的性意识以及在恋爱和性活动中的参与情况来确定亚组。拟合多变量回归模型以检验每个亚组的特征。结果显示出三个亚组：活跃组（12%，对性有意识且参与恋爱/性活动可能性高）；关注组（48%，性意识高但自身经历少）；以及天真组（40%，性意识或个人经历少）。处于活跃组与年龄较大、开始进入青春期/成为孤儿以及生活在最不贫困家庭有关。研究结果表明，虽然在这种环境下大多数早期青少年尚未开始恋爱和性活动，但存在一些独特的亚组，仅关注性交发生率并不能涵盖这些亚组。了解特定亚组的特征和需求可能有助于加强在城市贫困环境中改善青少年性与生殖健康的努力。
