Helen Berihun PDF
Helen Berihun PDF
Helen Berihun PDF
SEPTEMBER, 2014
BY:
SEPTEMBER, 2014
This thesis by Helen Berihun is accepted in its present form by the board of examiners as
satisfying thesis requirement for the degree of masters in child health nursing.
Internal examiner:
Research advisor:
First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to my advisor Ato Baze
Mekonnen for his undue supportive and constructive comments and suggestions starting from the
My gratitude and sincere thanks are extended to the following people and organizations.
Midwifery for their financial support and provision of the opportunity to prepare this
study project
My parents and friends for their encouragement, invaluable support and interest on my
work.
Sebeta Town Education Bureau, Sebeta high school director, teachers and students.
i
Table of content
Contents
Acknowledgement .......................................................................................................................................... i
Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................ vi
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Background................................................................................................................................... 1
2. LITERATURE REVIEW....................................................................................................................... 6
3. OBJECTIVE ............................................................................................................................................13
ii
4.3.2. Study population ........................................................................................................................14
5. Results ......................................................................................................................................................22
6. Discussion ................................................................................................................................................31
iii
Strength of the study ................................................................................................................................33
References ....................................................................................................................................................36
iv
List of Tables and Figure
Town, 2014……………………………………………………………………………………….23
Figure 2 Alcohol and drug conception of secondary school adolescent students, Sebeta Town,
2014………………………………………………………………………………………………25
Table 2 Premarital sexual practices among secondary school adolescent students in Sebeta Town,
2014………………………………………………………………………………………………27
Table 3 Unprotected sexual practices among secondary school adolescent students in Sebeta
Town, 2014……………………………………………………………………………………….29
Table 4 Risk factors associated with premarital sex among secondary school adolescent students
v
Abbreviations
vi
Abstract
Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescent people as those
between the ages of 10 to 19 years. These age groups are often characterized as being at a life
stage of increased experimentation and exploration associated with a range of risky behaviors,
including risky sexual behaviors. Moreover, adolescents are less likely than adults to have the
information, skills and support to protect themselves against HIV/AI DS and other consequences
of premarital sex.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of premarital sex and unprotected sexual intercourse practice
and associated factors among secondary school adolescent students in Sebeta Town, 2014.
Methods and Materials: A questionnaire based cross sectional study design was used to conduct
this study on 284 secondary school adolescent students in Sebeta Town from April to May 2014.
The data was processed and analyzed by using Epi Info 3.4.3 and SPSS version 16.0. Frequency
distribution, charts, figures and tables were used to present the results. Odd ratio and logistic
regression were used to determine association between specified factors and to control
cofounders respectively.
Results: The prevalence of premarital sex among the study participants of this study was 28.3%
and 90.1% of them were utilized condom during their sexual intercourse. The premarital sex was
strongly associated with grade level and their family income. Grade ten students were 7.99 times
high risk to be practiced premarital sex than others (AOR=7.99, CI= (2.2-28.5)) and grade eleven
students were 7.81 times high risk to be involved in premarital sex than others grade level
students (AOR= 7.81, CI= (2.4-25.4)). Students belong to family earned 500-1000 ETB were
vii
2.47 times high risk to be experienced premarital sex than others students (AOR= 2.47, CI=
(1.01-6.07))
Conclusion: The prevalence of premarital sex among the study participants was higher than the
studies conducted in different parts of Ethiopia and almost all of the students who have had
history of sexual practices utilized condom during their sexual intercourse. Premarital sex among
the study participants of this study was strongly associated with students‘ grade level and family
should provide psychosexual services for adolescent students at secondary school level.
viii
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescent people as those between the ages of
10 to 19 years (1). Adolescence is the time of transition from childhood to adulthood during
which young people experience significant physiological, psychological and social changes
following puberty; but not immediately assume the roles, privileges and responsibilities of
adulthood (2).
Premarital sex is a penetrative vaginal or anal sexual intercourse performed between couples
before formal marriage. Some people who advocate virginity and abstinence argue that those
people engaged in such sexual practice may have sex with many sexual partners and may have
high number of life time sexual partners. As a result, they may be liable to acquire STIs including
HIV. Besides, females, particularly adolescent girls may end up with unwanted pregnancies,
abortions, teenage deliveries, and various complications of these including death. Moreover, the
girls may dropout from school to look after their children and in most cases they become
Unprotected/unsafe sex is a sexual intercourse where an exchange of body fluids take place with
no barrier such as condom: can transmit STI, including HIV, between partners (4).But, in
addition to this, females may end up with unwanted pregnancy and its negative sequel. Both male
and female adolescents are usually curious to discover sex and are highly liable to practice
Family context has been shown to have consistent and strong effects on the timing of sexual
debut. Adolescent living in single-parent families or with stepparents initiates sexual activity
1
earlier than those in two-parent families (5). Adolescent feelings of closeness and connectedness
to parents, parental disapproval of sex, and positive peer influences have been shown to delay
sexual activity (6). Dating, and especially early steady dating, provides a context for many
adolescent sexual experience. Previous studies have shown that adolescents' attitudes about sex
affect adolescent sexual behavior, more permissive attitudes lead to earlier first sex (7).
2
1.2. Problem Statement
One in every five people in the world is an adolescent, defined by World Health Organization as
a person between 10 to 19 years of age. Unsafe sex is a major threat to the health and survival of
millions of adolescents. Each year, one in 20 adolescents worldwide contracts STI including
HIV. Every day, over 7000 young people aged from 10 to 24 years become infected with HIV
(8). Globally more than half of all new HIV infections are among 15 to 24 years old (9).
Early sexual initiation may predispose young people to HIV as their chances of having several
partners before marriage increases (10). Therefore, delaying the age of sexual debut and
increased condom use is recommended in preventing HIV infection for this age group (11). In
Zambia, behavioral interventions have led to a decline in the prevalence of HIV (12).
In many societies, premarital sex is a taboo, especially among unmarried girls (13). This norm is
widespread in rural Ethiopia, as in many traditional societies (14). A study about the concepts of
HIV and AIDS in Ethiopia suggested that premarital sex may contribute to the expansion of HIV
and AIDS (15). Indeed, several studies from Ethiopia have shown that young people are engaged
in premarital sex, have multiple sexual partners, and do not use condoms at all or use them
irregularly (16).
Adolescents in Ethiopia are also exposed to various risks such as unprotected sex, early marriage,
early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS, unemployment, drug
abuse and crime (17).Moreover, studies show that in Ethiopia, 60% of adolescents‘ pregnancy is
In order to tackle these problems, adolescents should learn to develop the life skill they need to
survive in their environment. Life skill based education enables them to develop an ability in
3
critical thinking, problem solving, self-management and interpersonal Communication skills in
order to adopt a healthy behavior. Because, when sexuality is discussed openly and when young
people learn more about their bodies and their emotions, they are better able to cope with sexual
maturations (1).
Schools are the ideal places where adequate and accurate information be provided along with
their formal education. Moreover, peer groups in school play a great role in information
dissemination and help students internalize the facts that lead to behavioral change. Actually, this
needs the integrated effort of adolescents, school- teachers, the family and other relevant bodies.
In general, many literatures suggest that the individual, family and peer variables have
considerable influence on the sexual behavior of the youth. However, it is one of the least
researched topics in Ethiopia, Due to the sensitivity of the topic of premarital sexuality; youth
receive inadequate education, guidance and services on reproductive health. To fill the gap, it is
thus imperative to study the prevalence of premarital sex and the factors surrounding premarital
sex in the context of high school students in order to inform Ministry of Health, Ministry of
Education and planners to develop appropriate and timely intervention programs to prevent high
risk sexual behavior such as premarital sex and unsafe sexual practices in these populations.
4
1.3. Significance of the study
The study related to the prevalence of premarital sex and unprotected sexual practice among
secondary school adolescent students is the critical issue to be studied. Because the students of
this age group have great role conflict about their activities because of immaturity, acquired new
developmental stage and hotness. Hence, these students do not get adequate reproductive health
services and may be practicing unsafe sex and exposed to HIV infection. The result of this study
is important to provide baseline information related to school adolescents sexual behavior in the
area and the baseline data will be used by different stakeholders like Ministry of Health, Ministry
of Education and other Organizations to take appropriate measures to improve current sexual
behavior of the students in order to prevent burdens following premarital sex and unprotected
5
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The period of adolescence encompasses the transition from childhood to adulthood during the
second decade of life. These age groups are often characterized as being at a life stage of
increased experimentation and exploration associated with a range of risky behaviors, including
risky sexual behaviors (19). Moreover, adolescents are less likely than adults to have the
information, skills and support to protect themselves against HIV/AI DS and other consequences
Adolescents all over the world are sexually active, but the age at which they start sexual
intercourse varies between regions and within a country, between urban and rural settings (21).
Age at first sexual activity in many areas tends to begin at a younger age than in the past. The
mean age of marriage has gradually been increasing while the age of puberty in both sexes
appears to be falling (22). Many studies showed that young men begin sexual activity earlier than
young women because premarital sex is accepted for males, whereas females are expected to
Adolescents‘ premarital sexual activities are increasing in the countries around the world, many
In the US, over 90% of young adults in 2001 reported sexual debut during adolescence and prior
to marriage. In the early 1990s, the majority of young adults (ages 20–25) surveyed in eleven
European nations reported experiencing sexual initiation during adolescence. For males, the
prevalence of sexual initiation before age 20 ranged from 73% in the Netherlands to 88% in
Iceland; for females, the low was in Portugal at 51% and the high in Denmark at 90% (27).
6
In USA, adolescent sexual experience rates were 53% and 72.2% for females and males,
respectively (28). In Canada, studies showed that 31% of male and 21% of females of 9th grade
students were found to be sexually active while the figure increases to 49% of males and 46% in
grade 11. A survey conducted in 2001 in 32 nations found the prevalence of ever having sexual
intercourse among 15-year-olds varied from a low of 15% in Poland to a high of 75% in
Greenland (29).
The studies conducted in Brazil showed that 64% of 15 to 17 years old men reported engaging in
sex before marriage as opposed to only 13% of females. In a study of young women in Shanghai
who received medical examination prior to marriage, 76% reported having had sexual intercourse
and 27% had aborted a pregnancy. Another study in Bangladesh found that 88 % of unmarried
urban boys and 35 % of unmarried urban girls had engaged in sexual intercourse by the time they
Another study of the young factory workers in Kathmandu revealed that 20% of unmarried boys
and 12% of unmarried girls aged 14–19 years were sexually experienced (penetrative sex).
Interestingly, the mean age for first sexual debut was the same for both the boys and the girls (15
years) (30). Similarly a survey conducted among teenagers in seven districts of Nepal showed
risky sexual behavior especially among young boys. About 22% of the boys interviewed had
premarital sexual experience and only two thirds of them used condom. The number of boys who
With an increasing age at first marriage across sub-Saharan Africa, the context of sexual
initiation in many countries has shifted from marriage to premarital sex (32). This development
has been accompanied by an increase in the years that young women are at risk for premarital
7
birth (33). Premarital pregnancy and childbearing can influence the achievement and timing of
key transitions to adulthood, and alter young women's life trajectories in the longer-term. In
particular, research in sub-Saharan Africa has linked premarital pregnancy and birth to early
termination of education, lower long-term earning potential, decreased opportunities for union
formation, and experiences of discrimination and stigmatization for young women (34).
A cross sectional study conducted in Tanzania showed that 0.3% girls and 3.2% boys had their
first sexual debut by the age of 9 years and 10% of both sex by the age of 13 years. The largest
group, 55% of girls and 45% of boys, had their first sexual intercourse between the ages of 14 to
17 years (35). According to a study conducted in urban Kenya, by age 18, 64 % of respondents
had initiated premarital sex (36). Another study in rural Kenya revealed that among students aged
15 to 19 years, boys perceived sexual activity as part of their initiation into manhood. Many were
However, some studies in Africa and Latin America showed that sexual initiation for girls can
occur before menarche. In Malawi, 56% of the 300 female adolescents surveyed reported being
sexually experienced, and of these, 58% had sex before menarche. The mean age at first
intercourse was 13.6 years while the mean age of menarche was 14.5years. In Guinea, the age at
first intercourse reported as early as 11 years. In Brazil school based study, among 36% of
adolescent females those reporting sexual intercourse, one fourth of them had their sexual
The situation in Ethiopia is also the same. According to the study conducted in Ethiopia, 66.2%
of the adolescents expressed that they had sexual intercourse and of those who had ever had sex,
the age at first intercourse ranged from 8 to 31years with the mean age of 17.4 and females had
8
their first intercourse at significantly younger age. In addition, out of the total respondents, 53.8
% have regular partner while the remaining 46.2 % reported no regular partners (17).
The national HIVAIDS behavioral surveillance survey also showed that 16% (19% of males and
13% of females) of the in-school youth had ever had sex. Among these the proportion was
highest in Oromia region (31.3%) and lowest in Addis Ababa (6.5%). More than 25% of the in-
school youth had sex by the time they were 15 years old. The two most common reasons for
starting sex were personal desire (68%) and peer pressure (22%). The percentage of in school
youth reported more than one sexual partner. During their last sexual encounter with non
commercial partners, 52.4% of in school youth (64.2% of males and 40.2% of females) had used
a condom and 73.6% (79.2% of males and 64.4%of females) had used condoms consistently. The
commonest reasons for not using condom amongst the youth were partner trust (54.4%) and
A study conducted in Addis Ababa showed that 19.5% had a coital exposure at least once prior to
the study of which 83.8% were boys and 13.5% were girls. The minimum age of sexual onset for
boys was 12 years and that of girls was 14 years. The reasons given by these students for starting
sex were peer pressure (35.2%), forced sex (21.6%), alcohol use (11.5%) and drug (10.3%).This
study showed that 10% of the sexually active male students admitted having sex with commercial
sex workers. This study showed that 82% of the sexually active did not use condoms on their first
sexual encounter. Only 27.7% of the sexually actives claimed that they had continuously used
condoms. The two outstanding reasons for not using condoms were negligence (28.2%) and
9
Another study conducted among high school students in North West Ethiopia also showed that
31.9% were sexually active. The mean age of sexual commencement was 16.7 for males and 15.5
for females. The study showed that females become sexually active earlier than boys. The survey
also showed that 45.9% had used condoms within the last 6 months prior the study and among
these 39.3% reported to be using condoms always. The reasons for non-condom use were non-
approval from the partner 21.4% and decreased sexual satisfaction 19.6% respondents (40).
A study conducted among the senior high school students in Harrar showed that 65% of males
and 20% of females were sexually active (41). In Jimma Town, 17.9% high school
adolescents (6.7% of females and 11.2% of males) were involved in unprotected sexual
activities (42).
According to a study conducted in Nekemte town among adolescents aged 10-19years, 21.4% of
the study population reported to have premarital sexual intercourse at the time of the survey, of
which 70.3% were males and 29.7% were females. The mean age at first sexual intercourse was
16.2 for male and 15.18 for females. From all sexually active adolescents, 5.8% of males and
14.6% of females had their first sexual intercourse before the age of 14 years, while the large
proportion, 94.2% of males and 85.4% of females had their first sexual intercourse after the age
of14 years. The majority of the adolescents 83 (57.2%), (69.5%of boys and 65.6% of the girls)
had their first sexual intercourse between the ages of 15 and 17years (43).
According to comparative study conducted in south west Ethiopia, 26% of the male and
21.6% of the female students had two or more sexual partners in the last six months. 32%
of the male and 43.5% of the female students was practiced unsafe sex in the last six months
prior to the study. 25.9% of male and 21.6% of female students had two or more sexual
10
partners in the last six months prior to the study. Only 9.4% of the male and 8.6% of the female
A similar study done among Agaro high school students showed 25% of the sexually active
students had sexual history. The mean age of coitus was 16.45 and 16.8 for males and females
respectively .This study also showed that 55.6% of the sexually active students had one partner,
35.6% had 2 - 5 and the remaining had more than 5 sexual partners during the past 12 months.
Among these, 40% males and 7.1% females reported to have 2-5 and more than 5 partners
respectively. The study revealed that 54.4% of the sexually active used condoms at least once. Of
these, 46.9% of them used condoms always and 38.8% occasionally (45).
According to study conducted among youth in rural part of Ethiopia, Alcohol and Khat use were
strongly associated with premarital sexual initiation. Habitual users of khat report that it produces
imagination, and the capacity to generate ideas (46). Then after Alcohol drinking follows khat
Generally, early initiation of sexual activity is linked to higher numbers of non-marital sex
partners, minimal condom use, increased rates of STIs, increased rates of out-of-wedlock
pregnancy and birth, increased single parenthood, decreased marital stability, increased
maternal and child poverty, increased abortion, increased depression, and reduced happiness
(48).
The available literatures in the area strongly recommend that sexual behavior among in-
school youth and adolescents should be based on the ability to delay sexual initiation and to use
condom consistently when abstinence is not possible. Success in these two strategies can be
11
strongly affected by individual factors such as the value given to virginity and boy/
12
3. OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of premarital sex and unprotected sexual intercourse practice and
associated factors among secondary school adolescent students in Sebeta Town, 2014.
To assess the magnitude of pre-marital sex among secondary school adolescent students
in Sebeta Town.
To identify factors associated with premarital sex among secondary school adolescent
13
4. METHODS AND MATERIALS
The study was conducted among secondary school adolescent students in Sebeta Town which is
one of the special Oromia Zones around Finnfine, Oromia regional state. It is located along Addis
Ababa to Jimma Road on 24 km away from Addis Ababa, the capital city of Oromia Regional
state, as well as Ethiopia and Headquarter of Africa Union. There are one secondary school and
A cross-sectional study design, quantitative method, was used to assess the prevalence of
premarital sex and unprotected sexual activity among secondary school adolescent students in
4.3. Population
4.3.1. Source population
The source population for this study was all students those attending their regular education at the
All students attending their regular education at the time of data collection and fulfilling the
Inclusion criteria
All regular, unmarried students aged 10 to 19 years, and attending their regular education at the
14
Exclusion criteria
Non-regular and not attending the school at the time of data collection and age greater than 19
All students who met the inclusion criteria were included until the required sample saturated.
The required sample size was calculated by the following formula and p-value obtained from
study conducted in Nekemte, prevalence of premarital sex among high school adolescents 21.4%
in the literature.
A single population proportion formula, [n = (Z α /2) 2p (1-p)/ d2], was used to estimate the
sample size. (p = 0.214), 95% confidence interval, margin of error 5% (d = 0.05). Computing
with the above formula and 10% of contingency for non respondent rate gives a total sample size
of 284.
The secondary school, in the respective area, was included in the study. Consultation with the
school administration was made to obtain details of classes and respective numbers of students in
the school. Sampling frame of classes in the high school was prepared and 16 classes were
selected out of 53 classes by using probability sampling proportional to size and simple random
sampling (lottery) method was applied to select equal number of study subjects from each class.
The number of required sample was calculated from each class and divided into grades, (9th to
12th).
15
16
4.5. Study Variables
4.5.1. Independent variables
Socio-demographic variables (age, sex, grade level, parental education, family monthly
income)
Premarital sex
Condom use
Sexual history
The structured questionnaire adapted from the BSS Ethiopia 2001. It was prepared by English
language. It was translated to local language Afan Oromo and discussions was made if there are
culturally unacceptable questions, ambiguous words etc with small group of respective ethnic
groups, then it was translated back to English for analysis. Then the questionnaire was pretested
17
on 14 Teji high school adolescent students nearby to the study area. Training was given for one
supervisor degree holder and four diploma holder data collectors for two days.
The data was collected by data collectors through self administered questionnaire, and then
checked by supervisor. The principal investigator was coordinating the overall activity of the
study.
The data collection format of each data collectors was checked daily for completeness, missed or
other relevant information on meeting and supportive supervision during data collection. Data
editing was done by the data collectors, supervisors and the principal investigator in the field and
Age of sexual debut: The age at which the first sexual initiation occurred.
Early sexual intercourse: A penetrative vaginal sexual intercourse performed before the age of
Non-commercial sex partner: Any partner who do not need sexual relationship/intercourse to be
Premarital sex: A penetrative vaginal sexual intercourse performed before formal marriage.
18
Sexually active: A study subject who have had a penetrative vaginal sexual intercourse at least
Data was entered to Epi-Info 3.4.3 for windows and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 for
windows. The data was double entered to check the consistency and was cleaned and edited
before analysis. During the process of analyzing, Frequency distributions, pie chart, figures and
tables were used to provide an overall and coherent presentation and description of the data and
odd ratio was performed on some selected variables to determine the association of these selected
19
4.10. Ethical consideration
The thesis proposal was submitted to Addis Ababa University, college of health science, School
of Allied Health Science, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Nursing Research Review
Committee for approval. Following the approval by Institutional Review Board, official letter of
co-operation was written to the concerned bodies by School of Allied Health science, Department
of Nursing and Midwifery. As the study was conducted through consenting the study participants
to answer the self administered questionnaire privately and the individual students was not
subjected to any harm as far as the confidentiality was kept. No personal identifiers were used on
data collection form. The recorded data was not accessed by a third person except the principal
20
4.11. Dissemination of results
Findings of the study will be communicated to the schools where the study was conducted, to
Ethiopian Ministry of Education to inform the importance of reproductive health for school
adolescent, School of Allied health Science through soft and hard copy after presentation.
The findings will also be disseminated to different organizations those have a contribution to
promote health and prevent diseases related to adolescent reproductive health in the region and
zone. The findings will also be presented in various seminars and workshops. The findings will
21
5. Results
The total sample size was 284 secondary school adolescent students. From these, 272 study
participants were provided their complete and relevant responses which making response rates
95.8%. The rest did not provide either complete data or refused to complete the questionnaire.
The mean age of the study participants were 17.15 with standard deviation of 1.32. The
maximum age was 19 years and the minimum age was 14 years. One hundred seventy four (64%)
of the study subjects were male and the remaining 98(36%) were female. Most of the students,
205(75.4%) were grade 9th - 10th and 67(24.6%) were grade 11th -12th (Table 1).
The majority of the study participants, 198(72.8%), were Oromo, followed by 40 (14.7%)
Amhara, 27(9.9%) were Gurage and 7(2.6%) were others. By religion, 193(71%) were Orthodox,
48(17.6%) were Protestant and the rest 31(11.4%) were Muslim (Table 1).
Regarding educational level of the study subjects‘ family, majority of them, 97(35.7%) have no
formal education, 83(30.5%) attained secondary school, 60(22%) attained primary school and the
Monthly income of most of the study subjects‘ family ranges from 500-1000 Birr which accounts
71(26.1%), 1600- 2000 Birr accounts 53(19.5%), >2000 Birr accounts 53(19.5%), 1100-1500
Birr accounts 50(18.4%) and < 500 Birr accounts 45 (16.5%), (Table 1).
22
Table 1 Socio demographic characteristics of secondary school adolescent students in
23
Total 272 100.0
Regarding their school expenses which including transportation fee, lunch and some school
payment were covered by both parents 137(50.4%), mother only 73(26.8%), father only
40(14.7%) and 22(8.1%) were paid by themselves. One hundred forty four (52.9%) study
subjects work different jobs to get money. These include 58(40.3%) labor worker, 33(22.9%)
were café servant, 32(22.2%) were shop keeper, 13(9%) were shoe shining and 8(5.6%) work
other jobs.
24
When concerning current residence of the study participants, majority of them 138(50.7%) were
living with their both parents, 66(24.3%) were living mother only, 31(11.4%) were living with
father only, 27(9.9%) were living alone and the rest 10(3.7%) were living with other relatives.
Among 272 study participants, 107 of them reported that they used different type of drugs. These
include 61(57%) of them were consumed Alcohol, 19(17.8%) were used Khat, 12(11.2%) were
smoke cigarette, 10(9.3%) were used hashish and 5(4.7%) were used others different drugs
(Figure 1).
Figure 2 Alcohol and drug consumption of secondary school adolescent students, Sebeta Town,
2014
25
5.3. Premarital sex
Out of two hundred seventy two study participants, majority of them, 191(70.2%) had no sexual
partner and the remaining 81(29.8%) had sexual partner. Regarding the premarital sexual practice
195(71.7%) of them did not ever involved in any sexual practice but 77(28.3%) were experienced
sexual intercourse with different people. Forty seven (61%) of them had sexual intercourse with
their boy/girl friend, 29(37.7%) with acquaintance and 1(1.3%) with other people.
The maximum age at which the study subjects had sexual intercourse was 19 year and the
minimum age was 13 year with the mean age of 16.51. The maximum age of their first sexual
partner for female students was 26 year and the minimum age was 12 year for male students with
Regarding the purpose of having the first sexual intercourse, 36(46.8%) of them were reported
because of falling in love with their sexual partner, 30(38.9%) had desire to have sexual
intercourse, 8(10.4%) due to peer pressure and the remaining 3(3.9%) had sexual intercourse due
When concerning the total number of sexual partner they have had sexual intercourse yet,
majority of them, 54(74%) of them have had sex with one partner, 19(24.7%) have had sex with
two partner and the rest 1(1.3%) has had sex with more than two partner.
26
Table 2 Premarital sexual practices among secondary school adolescent students in Sebeta Town,
2014.
27
5.4 Unprotected sexual practice
Among the study participants who have experienced sexual intercourse (77 students), larger
proportion 71(92.2%) of them had sexual intercourse in the last 12 months prior this study. The
remaining 6(7.8%) did not practice sexual intercourse in the past 12 months.
Concerning the total number of partner they have had sex in the past 12 months, 56(78.9%) of
them had sex with only one partner, 14(19.7%) had sex with two partner and the rest 1(1.4%) had
had sex with more than two people. Among the students who had sexual intercourse in last 12
months, 54(76 %) of them had sex with non commercial sex partner, 11(15.5%) with commercial
sex partner and 6(8.5%) with both commercial and non commercial sex partner.
Regarding safe sexual practice, majority of them 64(90.1%) of the students were used condom in
their most recent sexual intercourse and the rest 7(9.9%) did not use condom during their most
recent sexual practice. Concerning the initiation of condom using among those study participants
who were used condom in their most recent sexual practice, larger proportion, 38(59.4%) of the
decision to use condom was made by self, 17(26.6%) were decided jointly and 9(14%) were
The reason of majority of the study participants to use condom during sexual intercourse was fear
of HIV/AIDS which accounts 40(62.5%), 18(28.1%) of them used to prevent pregnancy, 5(7.8%)
to prevent STI and the rest 1(1.6%) used condom for other purposes. The reasons of non users
were 3(42.8%) of them ashamed to buy, 2(28.6%) of them trust their partner and the remaining
28
Table 3 Unprotected sexual practices among secondary school adolescent students in Sebeta
Town, 2014.
29
5.5 Factors associated with premarital sex
The risk factors associated with premarital sex among the study subjects are grade level, and
family monthly income. Grade ten students are 7.99 times risk to be involved in premarital sex
than others (AOR=7.99, CI= (2.2 – 28.5)) and grade eleven students are 7.81 times high risk to be
involved in premarital sex than other grade level students (AOR= 7.81, CI=(2.4 – 25.4)).
Regarding family monthly income, the students belongs to those families monthly earned 500-
1000 ETB are 2.47 times high risk to be involved in premarital sex than other students
(AOR=2.47,CI=(1.01 – 6.07)).
Table 4 Risk factors associated with premarital sex among secondary school adolescent students
30
6. Discussion
Being adolescence age group is characterized by different risk behaviors, including risky sexual
behaviors (20). Adolescents all over the world are sexually active, but the age at which they start
sexual intercourse varies between regions and within a country, between urban and rural settings
(21).
Adolescents‘ premarital sexual activities are increasing in the countries around the world, many
The prevalence of premarital sex among the study participants was 28.3% with the mean age of
16.51 and the maximum age 19 year and the minimum age 13 year. When compared to the study
conducted in Nekemte Town the prevalence of premarital sex was 21.4% (43) and Agaro high
school 25% (45). The premarital sexual practice among this study subjects is higher when
compared to these studies because the participants of the current study are more susceptible to the
effect of globalization because they are closer to the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, in
The main reason of having sexual intercourse of this study subjects was fall in love (46.8%)
followed by had desire to have sexual practice (38.9%). But the reason of having premarital sex
among Addis Ababa high school adolescent students was peer pressure (35.2%), rape and use of
In this study majority (74%) of the students who have experienced premarital sex, had one sexual
partner. Similarly the study conducted among Agaro high school adolescent students showed that
larger proportion of the study participants 55.6% had one sexual partner (45).
31
Using condom during sexual intercourse is one of the preventive methods of STI including
HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancy. Ninety percent (90.1%) of these study participants were
used condom during their most recent sexual intercourse. When compared to the studies
conducted in different parts of Ethiopia, among secondary school adolescent students in North
West Ethiopia 45.9% were used condom (40) and among Agaro high school adolescent students
54.4% were used condom during their sexual practices (45), the study subjects of this study were
highly utilized condom during their sexual practices. The reason behind may be due to the
proximity of the study area to the capital city in which more information about condom use is
daily heard/announced.
The reasons of non condom users of this study participant were ashamed to buy 42.8% and trust
of their friends 28.6%. Similarly, the study conducted among high school adolescent in Addis
Ababa revealed that the reason of non condom users was embarrassment in buying from shop or
pharmacy (39). But the study conducted in North West Ethiopia revealed that the reasons of non
condom users‘ high school adolescent students were partner opponent 21.4% and decreased
In this study, the mean age of first sexual intercourse is 16.9 years which is higher than the result
found in the study done in Addis Ababa (39) which was 12 years for boys and 14 years for girls.
This could be due to the fact that Sebeta town is closer to rural setting thus adolescents may
abstain from early sexual intercourse more than the adolescents in Addis Ababa.
The risk factors associated with premarital sexual practices among this study subjects were
different in grade level and family monthly income. Grade ten students were 7.99 times high risk
to be experienced than other grade students and grade eleven students were 7.81 times high risk
32
be involved in premarital sex than others grade level students. The students from families earned
500-1000ETB were 2.47 times high risk to be practiced premarital sex than others students.
size which maximizes the representativeness of the sample to the source population.
the respondents may feel that their privacy is violated. As a result, tendency to hold back
Since sexual issue is sensitive issue which requires special techniques of information
compromises the quality of raw data in such sensitive issue is another drawback to this
study.
33
7. Conclusion and Recommendation
7.1 Conclusion
This study revealed that the prevalence of premarital sex among the study participants is higher
than the studies conducted in different parts of Ethiopia. The utilization of condom among the
study participants was so appreciated practice because almost all of the students who have had
Premarital sexual practice among the study participants of this study was strongly associated with
being grade tenth and grade eleventh as well as family monthly income status.
34
7.2 Recommendations
reproductive health education which plays a vital role in adolescent healthy sexual
behavior.
35
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41
Annex I: Informed Consent Sheet
Consent to participate on a project assessing prevalence of premarital sex and unprotected sexual
activity among high school adolescents in Sebeta Town, Ethiopia
Two hundred and eighty four (284) high school adolescent students will be involved to assess
prevalence of premarital sex and unprotected sexual activity among high school adolescents in
Sebeta Town.
Confidentiality
All information collected on forms will be entered into computers with only the study
identification number. All information that will be collected from you will be protected. The
study will not include details that directly identify you, such as your name. Only a participant
identification number will be used in the survey. Only a small number of researchers/ Research
Assistants will have direct access to the survey. If the results of the current study will be
published or presented in a scientific meeting, names and other information that might
identify you will not be used.
Risks
As the study will be conducted through self administered questionnaire, the individual student
will not be subjected to any harm.
Taking part in this study is completely your choice. You are free to skip any question if you feel
uncomfortable to disclose information. You can stop participating in this study at any time,
even if you have already given your consent. Refusal to participate, or withdrawal from the
study, will not involve penalty or loss of any benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.
Benefits
There are no direct benefits to you; But, I hope that the results of the study will provide
valuable information on the prevalence of premarital sex and its consequences.
42
Who to Contact
If you ever have questions about this study, you should contact the principal investigator Helen
Berihun (+2519-11-68-07-29) Addis Ababa University, Collage of Health Science, Allied
School of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing and Midwifery.
Signature: _____________________
43
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
Annex II Questionnaires
Dear students!
To ensure the health of adolescents, understanding of the existing health problems and related
behaviors of these populations is essential. Owing this, this study is designed to assess the
sexuality, determinant factors of these behaviors and utilization of condoms among high school
adolescents.
You are chosen to participate in this study .The choice of the grade and an individual was done
randomly using a type of lottery and systematic approach.
The purpose of this study is to generate important information about high school adolescents‘
sexual behaviors, determinant factors and condom utilization and to propose future school health
program interventions.
These study questions will involve various personal and sexual issues of individuals. So, it is
your full right to refuse or participate in this study. If you do not want to participate, you can
leave the question papers on the table upside down, & you are kindly requested to remain on your
seat until others finish filling the questions. Moreover, I assure you that your responses are
completely confidential & non-of your responses will be reported to anybody. Therefore, there is
no need to write your names on these survey papers.
However, in order to attain its goal, we kindly request your kind and good will to participate in
the survey. So, please take a few minutes to answer the questions.
Would you like to participate? Yes [___] No [___]. Mark" X" in the appropriate
space
44
Date (DD/MM/YY) _________________
45
Others (specify) _________
109 Do you work to get money? Yes 1
No 2 111
110 If your response to Q109 is ‗Yes‘, Labor work 1
What do you do to earn money? Shoe shining 2
Shop keeper 3
Café servant 4
Others (specify)__________
111 With whom are you living currently? Both parents 1
Mother 2
Father 3
Sister 4
Brother 5
Alone 6
Others (specify)__________
112 Have you ever had drinks containing Yes 1
alcohol? No 2 114
113 If your response to Q112 is ‗Yes‘, Every day 1
How often have you had drinks Once per week 2
containing alcohol in the last 4 Less than one per week 3
weeks? More than one per week 4
114 Which one of these drugs you have Khat 1
tried? Cigarette 2
(Multiple answers are possible) Hashish 3
Alcohol 4
Other (specify) __________
115 If you have used any one the above Every day 1
drug, how often per week? Once 2
Less than one 3
More than one 4
46
Boy/girl friend 4
Others(specify)_______
206 Why did you decide to have sexual Fall in love 1
intercourse the first time you had sex? Had desire 2
Raped 3
To get money/gifts 4
peer pressure 5
drug use [khat, alcohol] 6
Others. (specify)________
207 How many sexual partners have you One 1
had so far? Two 2
Three 3
Four or more 4
208 Have you had sexual intercourse in the Yes 1
past 12months? No 2 213
209 If yes, how many people in the total One person 1
have you ever had sexual intercourse Two persons 2
with during thelast12months? Three persons 3
Four persons 4
Five and above 5
210 If your response to question 208 is commercial Sex Partner 1
"Yes" with whom you had sexual Non Commercial 2
intercourse in the last12 months? Both 1 and 2 3
211 The last time you had sex with your Yes 1
partner; did you and your partner use a No 2 216
condom?
212 If your response to Q211 is "Yes" who Myself 1
suggested using condom that time? My partner 2
By Joint decision 3
213 Why did you and your partner decided To prevent pregnancy 1
to use condom? Fear of HIV/AIDS 2
To prevent STI 3
Influence each other 4
Others (specify) ________
214 If you have not used condom at all or Condoms not available 1
haven‘t used constantly, what was the Condoms are expensive 2
reason? Ashamed to ask my Partners 3
(multiple responses are possible) I wanted to get pregnant 4
I ashamed to buy condom 5
I trust my partner 6
I don't know how to use 7
Fear of Its bursts 8
It decreases satisfaction 9
My religion prohibit 10
I was drunk 11
Others(specify) ------------
47
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
Jaallatamtoota barattootaa!
Sababa kanaaf qorannoon amala qunnamtii naf-saalaa ,amaloota kanaaf dhimmoota murteessoo
ta'anii fi itti fayyadama kondomii dargaggootaa qorachuuf qorannoon kun qophaa'eera. Isinis
qorannoo kanaaf carraadhaan filatamtaniijirtu.
Gaaffileen qorannoo kanaa dhimmoolee dhuunfaa kan ilaallatan waan ta'aniif qorannoo kana
keessatti hirmaachuun fedhii irratti kan hundaa'e ta'a. Kanaafis hirmaachuu fi dhiisuu irratti mirgi
keessan kabajamaa dha .Kanaaf hirmaachuun fedhii keessan miti yoo ta'e,waraqaa gaaffichaa
gad-galagalchuudhaan minjaala fuuladura keessan jiru irra kaa'aatii hanga warri kaan xumuranitti
bakkuma jirtan turaa.
Haata'u malee galmaan ga'umsa kaayyoo qorannoo kanaa fi fooyya'insa tajaajila fayyaa
dargaggootaaf jecha hirmaannaa keessan kabajaan isin gaafatna. Deebiin keessan hundi iccitiitti
kan qabamu ta'uu isaa ni mirkaneessina.Kanaafis maqaa keessan waraqaa gaaffii kana irraati
barreessuun isin hin barbaachisu.
Galatoomaa!
48
Guyyaa _________________
Maqaa mana barumsich: ___________________ Kutaa_____________
koodii Gaafichaa ________________________
Maqaa Nama data Funaanuu __________________Mallattoo_________
Maqaa To‘ataa _____________________Mallattoo_________
Maqaa Qorannoo Gaggeessaa: Helen Berihun
49
Kutaa 1- 8 3
Kutaa 9 – 12 4
Kutaa 12 oli 5
50
112 Dhugaatii alkoolii of keessa qabu Eeyyee 1
dhugdee beektaa?
Lakki 2 114
51
isaa/ishee meeqa ture? [___________] waggadhan
210 Deebiin kee gaaffii 208 ‗eeyyee‘ yoo Dubartoota mana bunaa
ta‘e, Ji'oota12 darban keessa eenyu waliin 1
faana qunnamtii naf-saalaa raawwattee
? Jaalallee koo waliin 2
Lamaanu waliin 1 and 2 3
52
212 Deebiin kee gaaffii 211 ‗eeyyee‘ yoo Ana/ ofii koo 1
ta‘e, eenyutu akka fayyadamtaniif
yaada dhiyeesse? Hiriyaa koo 2
Murtii lamaan kenyaatiin 3
214 Yoo kondomiitti hin fayyadamne ta'e Kondomin waan hin jirreef 1
maaliif hin fayyadamne?
Kondomiin mi'aa waan ta'ef 2
(multiple responses are possible)
Jaalallee koo gaafachuu
waaniin saalfadheef 3
Ulfaa'uu waaniin barbaadeef 4
53
Declaration
I the undersigned declare that this is my original work and has not been presented in this or any
other University and all sources of materials used for this proposal have been fully
acknowledged.
Signature: __________
Date: _____________
Place: Addis Ababa University College of Health Sciences School of Allied Health Sciences
Signature: __________
Date: _____________
Place: Addis Ababa University College of Health Sciences School of Allied Health Sciences
54