Adolescent sexual behaviour, knowledge and attitudes to sexuality among school girls in Transkei, South Africa
Buga, G.A.; Amoko, D.H.; Ncayiyana, D.J.
East African Medical Journal 73(2): 95-100
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0012-835X PMID: 8756047 Document Number: 304366
In Transkei, South Africa, 25% of births are to teenagers, 75% of whom are unmarried. To investigate the factors associated with adolescent sexual activity and facilitate the design of preventive programs, a self-administered questionnaire was provided to 1025 females from 21 secondary schools. 800 (74.6%) were already sexually active; 18.7% had initiated coitus before menarche. Only 182 (23.5%) of these teens had ever used a modern method of contraception and 241 reported at least 1 pregnancy. Among sexually active teens, mean ages at menarche, first date, and first coitus were 13.91, 14.47, and 14.86 years, respectively. Major reasons cited for initiating coitus included forced by partner (28.4%), peer pressure (20.0%), carried away by passion (15.1%), to prove normality (11.7%), and to prove love of boyfriend (10.1%). The reasons provided by sexually inexperienced girls for delaying intercourse included religious values (25.4%), fear of pregnancy (23.8%), wish to wait for marriage (20.0%), fear of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (15.6%), not emotionally ready (8.6%), and fear of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS (6.4%). Knowledge of reproduction was low, with only 19% able to identify the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. The majority of experienced (64.0%) and inexperienced (73.5%) girls disapproved of premarital sex while still in school; only 27.6% and 11.4%, respectively, supported the inclusion of sex education in the school curriculum. Overall, these findings indicate that early sexual maturation, early onset of dating, and poor knowledge of reproductive biology and contraception represent risk factors for unprotected sexual activity in this population and suggest a need for school-based family life education introduced before girls initiate sexual activity.