Parental Characteristics and Female Adolescent Sexual Behavior in Addis Ababa: The Case of Bole and Medhanialem high Schools

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Date

2007-07

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

The study tried to examine how parental attributes influence female a dolescents' sexual activity. The data was collected from female students in the age group 14-19 years of Bole and Medhanialem high schools in Addis Ababa using cross sectional study. A total sample size was 800 students selected by employing multistage random cluster sampling method. The data was entered and a nalyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistic used to describe the respondents' and their pa rents' characteristics. Binary logistic regression model was used to establish relationship between the female adolescents' sexual behavior and their parents' characteristics. The study revealed that 12.6 % of the students have reported to start sexual intercourse. Age at first sex reported 55.4% started at middle adolescence (l4-15) and the rest 44.6% at late adolescence (16-19). Around 3 1 % of sexually active girls had multi-sexual partners. Greater proportion of the students (76.2%) had involved into sexual intercourse willingly. Among the respondents 727 (90.9%) have better while 73(9.1 %) poor knowledge pertaining to HIV / AIDS. Although, 74.0% of the students have sufficient knowledge about contraceptive methods, 62.5% of the sexually active students did not use contraceptive during their first sexual intercourse. The finding of multivariate analysis point out parental religiosity, mothers' education, parental income and parent adolescent communication about sexual issues have significant influence on a dolescents' sexual behavior. It is concluded that high school students are involving in to risky sexual activities. As they are in the age to be under parent's guidance, parents have the responsibility to instruct their children sexual beh avior. Hence it is important to design programs that will empower parents with the skills to shape their children's reproductive health matters would be promoted in the study area.

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Female Adolescents Sexual Behavior

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