Correlates of ever had sex and of recent sex among teenagers and young unmarried adults in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The future of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo will depend on the behavior that teenagers and young adults are likely to adopt. Documenting teenagers and young adults behavior can help design effective interventions. The premarital sexual activity of 13,091 teenagers and young adults aged 15-24 years was examined. Logistic regression models were used to identify the correlates of ever had sex and recent sex. Ever had sex and recent sex were associated with older individuals, males, school dropouts, those addicted to alcohol and drug use, those living alone or with friends, those involved in an income generating activity, those with low capacity to resist sex, those with low socio-economic status and those living in permissive milieu. Controlling access to alcohol and drugs, teaching teenagers skills to resist sex, getting schools involved in teaching values of abstinence and delayed sex, could impact the age at first sex and trigger the adoption of lower risk behavior.
Department of Epidemiology, Kinshasa School of Public Health, Kinshasa School of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa BP 11850, Democratic Republic of Congo. patkayembe@yahoo.fr
Kalambayi Patrick
KP
Kayembe
Mala Ali
MA
Mapatano
Fatuma Alphonsine
FA
Busangu
Kyloka Jean
KJ
Nyandwe
Kulimba Désiré
KD
Mashinda
Mulakilwa Godefroid
MG
Musema
Jocelyne Pemba
JP
Kibungu
Tshingombe Léonard
TL
Matamba
Mabasi Godefroid
MG
Mayala
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012847:Single Person