TY - JOUR
A1 - Akumiah, Prince
A1 - Suglo, Joseph
A1 - Sebire, Silas
T1 - Early life exposures and risky sexual behaviors among adolescents: A cross-sectional study in Ghana
Y1 - 2020/7/1
JF - Nigerian Medical Journal
JO - Niger Med J
SP - 189
EP - 195
VL - 61
IS - 4
UR - https://www.nigeriamedj.com/article.asp?issn=0300-1652;year=2020;volume=61;issue=4;spage=189;epage=195;aulast=Akumiah
DO - 10.4103/nmj.NMJ_100_20
N2 - Background: Risky sexual behaviors (RSBs) are behaviors that could result in unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. These behaviors are often initiated during adolescence, and the frequency of engagement in such behaviors rises with increasing age during the teenage years. It has been asserted that exposures to sexual materials early in life could lead to early sex debut among adolescents. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the early life exposures contributing to RSBs among basic school pupils in the Twifo Praso District of Ghana. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Three hundred and sixty basic school pupils were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The study found that 64.4% of the respondents have had sexual intercourse at a mean age of 13.7 years. Respondents from polygamous homes were more likely to engage in earlier sexual debut than those from monogamous home (r = 0.0343, P = 0.003). Furthermore, having a high number of friends who have had sex was associated with an early sexual debut (r = 0.720, P = 0.000). Conclusion: Adolescents are initiating sexual intercourse very early in life and this calls for customized reproductive health promotion activities aimed at minimizing risky sexual behaviors. Further studies on how parent–child sexual communication could delay sexual debut are recommended.
ER -