title: Pre-marital sexual debut and its associated factors among in-school adolescents in Eastern Ethiopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  More adolescents in Ethiopia are in school today than ever, but few studies have assessed the sexual behaviour of these learners. Thus, this study tried to assess pre-marital sexual debut and factors associated with it among in-school adolescents in Eastern Ethiopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted using a facilitator guided selfadministered questionnaire. Respondents were students attending regular school classes in fourteen high schools. The proportion of adolescents involved in pre-marital sexual debut and the mean age at sexual debut was computed. Factors associated with pre-marital sexual debut were assessed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About one in four, 686 (24.8%) never married in-school adolescent respondents reported pre-marital sexual debut of these 28.8% were males and 14.7% were females (p < 0.001). Pre-marital sexual debut was more common among adolescents who had their parents in urban areas (Adjusted OR and [95% CI] = 1.42 [1.17-1.73]), who received higher pocket money per month (Adjusted OR and [95% CI] = 1.56 [1.19-2.04]), who perceived low self-educational rank (Adjusted OR and [95% CI] = 1.89 [1.07-3.34]) and who lived in rented houses (Adjusted OR and [95% CI] = 1.32 [1.03-1.70]). The females and those who were less influenced by external pressure were more protected against pre-marital sexual debut (Adjusted OR and [95% CI] = 0.44 [0.35-0.56; 0.62 [0.52-0.74, respectively]) than their counterparts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant proportion of in-school adolescents were engaged in sexual relationship. Thus, public health interventions should consider the broader determinants of premarital sexual debut, including the ecological factors in which the behavior occurs.
authors.affiliation: College of Health Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia. olemessa@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Lemessa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oljira
authors.forename: Yemane
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Berhane
authors.forename: Alemayehu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Worku
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001722:Birth Order; D003075:Coitus / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010379:Peer Group; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012572:School Health Services; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012925:Social Conformity; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult