| dc.description.abstract | Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of premature sex is extremely alarming. Uganda is facing a similar problem where young people start having sexual intercourse as early as 10 years of age. The government has put tremendous effort to improve the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents by providing reproductive health education, youth empowerment, provision of universal primary and secondary education but adolescents still face reproductive health problems which are associated with premature sex.
Objectives: The main objective of the study was to establish the factors that influence early sexual relationships among students in selected secondary schools in Kangulumira sub-county in Kayunga district.
The specific objectives included: 1) to determine the proportion of secondary school students who have had early sexual relationships in selected schools in Kangulumira sub county Kayunga district, 2) to establish the role of media on early sexual relationships among secondary school students in selected schools in Kangulumira sub county Kayunga district, 3) to establish the level of influence of socio-economic factors on early sexual relationships among secondary school students in selected schools in Kangulumira sub county Kayunga district, and 4) to identify interventions that can reduce early sexual relationships among secondary school students in selected schools in Kangulumira sub county Kayunga district.
Methods:A cross sectional study design using a self-administered questionnaire were used to collect information from 297 participants from selected secondary schools in Kangulumira sub- county, Kayunga district.
Results: The median age of the respondents was 16(16-17) years. The prevalence of premarital sex was 42%. The most significant predictors found to be associated with premarital included: media especially internet which contributed 80% and socio-economic where 51% of the respondents coming from the peasant families and 67% from the unemployed families having premature sex.
Conclusion: The prevalence of premarital sex among students in Kangulumira sub-county was remarkably high. Influence of media and socio-economic factor were substantially associated with having sex at an earlier age.
Showing love and peer influence were the commonest reasons why adolescents were involving in sexual encounter. And the majority of the respondents knew about sex through internet.
Majority of the respondents were residing with their parents and most of these guardians were peasants with secondary level as their highest level of education. On the other hand majority of the respondents from the level socioeconomic family back ground were sexually active.
Recommendations: Since the media has been found to be the most common source of information about sex especially internet, it should be used as a channel for disseminating information that can help young people to avoid risky behaviors including early sex rather than promoting nude movies.
The reproductive health information gap that was found in the study should be addressed so that our young generation can be protected from such risk behaviors. This can be done through effective reproductive health education that should start from home, then to schools, churches and mosques. Also the community and parents should be sensitized about reproductive health need and concerns of young people since they play a big role in up-bringing and shaping the behaviors and morals of young people. | en_US |
