A Sathiya Susuman
University of Western Cape, South Africa
Title: The impact of early sexual debut and non-use of condom on adolescent sexual behaviour in Malawi
Biography
Biography: A Sathiya Susuman
Abstract
This study examines the impact of early sexual debut and non-use of condoms on the sexual behaviour of adolescents in Malawi, by identifying the determinants of these two indicators, and examining their impact on adolescent sexual behaviour. Data was obtained from the Malawi Demographic Health Survey 2010. A weighted sample of 9559 females and 2987 males aged 15-24 years was subjected to bivariate and logistic regression techniques. Females were more vulnerable to infections then males. Muslim females were more likely to initiate sexual activity earlier than their male counterparts and females with no education were more likely to initiate sexual activities early. The prevalence of non-use of condom was 1.5 times higher among Muslim females, and 6.2 times higher among those with no education. However, married females in the poorest quintiles were about 1.5 times more likely not to use condom. Encouraging these adolescents to abstain from sexual activities, use condoms consistently and delay sexual initiation will help curb the spread of STIs.