Correlates of Sexual Initiation: A Study among Never-Married Adolescents (10-19) in Uganda

Robert Wamala, Makerere University

This paper examines factors associated with onset of penetrative sexual intercourse among never-married adolescents in Uganda based on data sourced from the Straight Talk Evaluation survey comprising 2,133 records. The likelihood of sexual initiation was modeled in a Logistic regression by a range of socio-demographic, knowledge, attitude and behavior factors. In the results, nearly one in eight adolescents (12.2%) had initiated sexual intercourse before age 19. The odds of sexual initiation were higher among adolescents at later ages, male, out-of-school, those involved at large in activities that predispose risky behavior and with a relatively high level of knowledge on reproductive health and HIV issues; while, lower among adolescents with a progressive attitude towards premarital sex. Consequently, early sex education focusing on clarification of core values related to premarital sex, control in exposure to risky behavior through increased parental involvement and prioritizing schooling particularly among girls were remedies suggested.