title: Sexual behaviour and knowledge among adolescents in Ireland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the present study the reported sexual activity and aspects of sexual knowledge of adolescents in both rural and urban areas in Ireland was documented.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was administered to secondary school pupils aged 14-19 years during 2003-04. Data were analysed using the software package SPSS version 15.0. Associations between boys and girls, younger (<or=15 years) and older respondents (>or=16 years), and students from urban and rural schools were measured using the chi2 statistic.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings indicated that over a third of respondents had experienced sexual intercourse. However, the consistent trend in all previous studies of a greater proportion of boys reporting that they had full sex was reversed in the present study, with a higher proportion of girls stating that they had experienced their sexual debut. With regard to sexual coercion, while only a tenth of boys reported that they felt pressured to have full sex, approximately a third of girls reported that they had at some time felt pressured. Boys manifested a poorer understanding of fertility than girls, with more than half believing that a pregnancy would not occur while a woman was menstruating.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endeavours designed to improve young people's knowledge of reproductive physiology and the risks they pose to themselves by having sex without a condom need to be improved.
authors: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, Health Sciences Centre, Belfield Campus, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors: Jonathan
authors: J
authors: Drennan
authors: Abbey
authors: A
authors: Hyde
authors: Etaoine
authors: E
authors: Howlett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003075:Coitus; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012736:Sex Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult