ABSTRACT
Introduction: Adolescents’ involvement in sexual practices are becoming a major public health concern in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the prevalence of sexual practices among Malaysian school-going adolescents and its predictive factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from April 2012 till September 2012 among 16-year-old school adolescents from two different schools. They were selected through simple random sampling and these adolescents answered a self-administered questionnaire consisting of three sections i.e. socio-demography, risk-taking behaviours and family-adolescents relationship. Data were analysed using Pearson Chi-Square test while Simple Logistic Regression and Multiple Logistic Regression were applied to determine the predictive factors. Results: The prevalence of sexual practices among the adolescents was 30.1% in which they were either involved in pornography (26.8%), pre-sexual activities (8.5%) or premarital sex (2.9%). Six predictive factors associated with sexual practices among this age group were identified which were male (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 2.7, 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI) 1.4 to 2.5), truancy (aOR 2.3, 95%CI 1.3 to 4.2), bully (aOR 3.5, 95%CI 1.7 to 7.3), hanging out (aOR 2.8, 95% 1.4 to 5.6), staying out late (aOR 3.2, 95%CI 1.5 to 6.8) and conflict with family (aOR 4.1, 95%CI 1.9 to 8.9). Discussion: Asian background differs from the western countries and findings of this study may suggest suitable intervention programmes that can prevent high-risk sexual practices among Asian school-going adolescents.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Bullying , BehaviorABSTRACT
Background: Unprotected sex is a major risk factor for transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We explored the behavioural risk factors for STIs among men who presented with STI-related symptoms. Methods: A systematic sample of 112 males presenting with STI symptoms at district sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic located in Kandy, Sri Lanka were enrolled during 2009. They were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Selected sexual behaviours were discussed with them in greater detail. The chi-square and difference-in-two-proportion tests were used for testing the statistical significance for quantitative data, and qualitative methods were used for the analysis of responses to open-ended questions and in-depth discussion. Results: The median age of the respondents was 28 years. The majority of them (56%) had never been married. The median age at the first sexual intercourse was 22 years. The majority(87%) of respondents had their first intercourse before marriage; mostly with older females. Most (103, 92%) men reported having sexual intercourse during the past six months; of them, 40.8% had sex with multiple partners. Only 18.5% used condoms at the first premarital intercourse. The consistent use of condoms with non-marital partners during the past six months was only 13.7%. Common reasons for non-use of condoms were: belief that partner was faithful; poor knowledge about risk of unprotected sex; view that condoms reduce pleasure and negatively affect intimacy; and inhibition in accessing condoms in public. Conclusions: Sexual behaviours were found to be risky among men attending STD clinics in Sri Lanka. Strategies of sexual health promotion among vulnarable groups should be evaluated for planning proper interventions.