REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN POSITIVE SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG YOUTH IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Published in: Journal of biosocial science Vol. 51; no. 2; pp. 254 - 272
• Main Authors: Odimegwu, Clifford, Somefun, Oluwaseyi Dolapo, Chisumpa, Vesper H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.03.2019
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adolescent; Adult; Africa South of the Sahara; Age Factors; Age of onset; AIDS; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Delayed; Developing Countries; Female; Gender differences; Health surveys; Humans; Male; Protective factors; Regional differences; Regional variations; Research Article; Resilience; Safe Sex; Sexual behavior; Sexual Behavior - ethnology; Sexual Partners; Sociocultural factors; Teenagers; Unsafe Sex - ethnology; Young Adult; Young adults; Youth; Africa South of the Sahara; United Kingdom > UK; Nigeria; West Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Africa
• ISSN: 0021-9320; 1469-7599
• DOI: 10.1017/S002193201800010X

The question of youth sexual behaviour has been widely debated, with researchers such as Berhan and Berhan (2015) arguing that young adults aged 15–24 are more likely to engage in risky behaviours. However, research has not adequately addressed the issue of positive sexual behaviours, in particular among young people in sub-Saharan Africa. Adapting the compensatory model of risk and resiliency theory, this study examined the determinants of positive sexual behaviours among youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Using recent data from Demographic and Health Surveys of sixteen countries representative of each African region (East, West, Southern and Central), it was hypothesized that positive sexual behaviours of youth (condom use at last sex and single sexual partnership) would be most strengthened by protective factors at the individual and family levels, and that these behaviours would differ by region due to regional variation in socio-cultural practices. Delayed age at sexual debut (first sex after the age of 15) was found to be the strongest protective factor for positive sexual behaviours among males and females in sub-Saharan Africa. Certain socioeconomic variables were found to be positively associated with positive sexual behaviours and the associations differed by gender.