Personal and Environmental Correlates of Sexual Experience among Secondary School Students in Dar Es Salaam Region
[1]
Swaib Jacob Yarro, Department of Mathematics, Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Transport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
[2]
Francis Muya, Department of Business and Entrepreneurship, National Institute of Transport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
[3]
David M. N. Lung’wecha, Department of Mathematics, Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Transport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
[4]
Getruda Challe, Department of Mathematics, Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Transport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
There are both individual and environmental factors that are believed to be significantly associated with sexual experience among adolescent students. This cross sectional study aimed at exploring them using the ecological systems theory. A random sample of 407 students completed a semi structured survey questionnaire and the data gathered were processed using SPSS 20 and analysed using Chi Square, linear and Logistic regression methods. Results showed that, by their 16th birthday, 32.4 percent of the surveyed students were sexually experienced. Significant correlates of sexual experience included male gender (OR = 1.867, p = .013), alcohol use (OR = 6.96, p = .001), being in a relationship (OR = 3.492, p = .001), relaxed sexual image (OR = 2.169, p = .005), having ever been seduced by a peer (OR = 4.71, p = .001), teachers’ unethical behaviors (OR = 1.63, p = .041), exposure to explicit media (OR = 1.67, p = .021), having ever received sex education from a parent (OR = 0.47, p = .021). Age at puberty explained a 29.4 percent variation in age at sexual debut; (Adjusted R2 = .294, p = .001). It is concluded that, personal factors correlated more with sexual experience than did environmental factors; it is suggested that, sex education and the monitoring of the whereabouts of student be enhanced by responsible parties.
Secondary Students, Personal Factors, Environmental Factors, Sexual Experience, Ecological Systems
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