Prevalence and predictors of premarital sexual intercourse among young women in sub-Saharan Africa
- Publisher:
- Springer Nature
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Reproductive Health, 2023, 20, (1), pp. 99
- Issue Date:
- 2023-06-29
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IntroductionPremarital sexual intercourse PSI without adequate information and or appropriate application of the relevant knowledge about sex before marriage potentially has adverse effects on the sexual and reproductive health outcomes of vulnerable young women in sub Saharan Africa SSA This study sought to examine the prevalence and predictors of PSI among young women aged 15 24 in SSA MethodsNationally representative cross sectional data from 29 countries in SSA were extracted for the study A weighted sample size of 87 924 never married young women was used to estimate the prevalence of PSI in each country A multilevel binary logistic regression modelling approach was used to examine the predictors of PSI at p 0 05 ResultsThe prevalence of PSI among young women in SSA was 39 4 Young women aged 20 24 aOR 4 49 95 CI 4 34 4 65 and those who had secondary higher educational level aOR 1 63 95 CI 1 54 1 72 were more likely to engage in PSI compared to those aged 15 19 and those with no formal education However young women who belonged to the Islamic religion aOR 0 66 95 CI 0 56 0 78 those who were working aOR 0 75 95 CI 0 73 0 78 belonged to the richest wealth index aOR 0 55 95 CI 0 52 0 58 were not exposed to radio at all aOR 0 90 95 CI 0 81 0 99 were not exposed to television at all aOR 0 50 95 CI 0 46 0 53 resided in rural areas aOR 0 73 95 CI 0 70 0 76 and those who were living in the East African sub region aOR 0 32 95 CI 0 29 0 35 were less likely to engage in PSI compared to those who were traditionalist unemployed belonged to the poorest wealth index exposed to radio frequently exposed to television frequently resided in urban areas and lived in the Southern Africa sub region respectively ConclusionSub regional variations in the prevalence of PSI exist amidst multiple risk factors among young women in SSA Concerted efforts are required to empower young women financially including education on sexual and reproductive health behaviors such as the detrimental effe
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