Gemeinschaftsmedizin und Gesundheitserziehung

Abstrakt

Factors Early Sexual Initiation among Governmental Preparatory School Students, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Dereje Girma, Getachew Hailu, Mulatu Ayana and Kassahun Ketema

Early age at first sexual practice is now common around the world and has been found to pose both social and public health problems especially in the developing countries including HIV, STIs, unwanted pregnancy, induced abortion and Human Papilloma Virus infection. Different factors contribute to these problems. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess factors associated with early sexual initiation among governmental preparatory in-school adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. An institution based cross sectional study was conducted using multi-stage random sampling method from February to March, 2014. Data were entered into a computer by using Epi Info version 3.5.1 and analysed using SPSS version 16.0 for windows. Logistic regression analysis was used in order to identify the association between predictor variables and dependent variable and to control confounders. The result showed 25.3% of the students reported having practiced early sexual intercourse. Sex AOR=0.53; 95% CI (0.30-0.94), visiting night or day party AOR=4.00; 95% CI (2.25-7.13), using drugs AOR=5.23; 95% CI (2.40-11.39) and viewing pornographic materials AOR=2.84; 95% CI (1.43-5.65) were found to be significantly associated with early sexual initiation. There is a high magnitude of early sexual initiation among adolescents. Using drug was the strongest predictor of early sexual initiation. Therefore, the government and other stakeholders should give due emphasis in educating adolescents on harmful sides of drugs and create strong and practical controlling mechanisms.