Sexual risk behaviors among young people in Bamenda, Cameroon
Sexual risk behaviors among young people in Bamenda, Cameroon
复制标题
DOI：
10.2307/2648300
复制
发表时间：
2000-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Rwenge, M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Rwenge, M
背景：提高对艾滋病毒的认识以及更多地了解艾滋病毒的传播和预防并不总是与喀麦隆年轻人中危险性行为的减少有关。需要更多关于与这些行为相关的因素的信息。方法：收集了1995年居住在喀麦隆巴门达的671名青年的社会、人口和经济特征和性行为数据。结果：男性首次性行为的平均年龄为15.6岁，女性为15.8岁。引发性行为的主要原因是好奇心(53%的男性和42%的女性)。然而，约37%的女性和30%的男性表示，他们的第一次性行为不是自愿的。在16岁以前开始性行为的最重要的因素是父亲的种族、上学和受过小学或中学教育。家庭构成和家庭生活水平是与性危险行为最一致的相关因素。与生活在高生活水平家庭的年轻人相比，那些生活在贫困家庭的年轻人在调查时性活跃的可能性是1.4倍，在前一年发生临时性行为的可能性是1.3倍。单亲家庭的年轻人性生活活跃的可能性是双亲家庭的1.6倍，同时有多个伴侣的可能性是2.8倍，前一年发生过临时性行为的可能性是后者的1.7倍，不使用避孕套的可能性是后者的1.7倍。与祖父母同住一般具有保护作用，而与兄弟姐妹、独居或与其他人同住一般会增加发生性危险行为的可能性。结论：经济资源较少和生活环境不稳定的青少年比其他青少年更容易发生使其感染艾滋病毒的性行为；改善家庭的生活条件，特别是以单身女性为户主的家庭，有助于遏制艾滋病的传播。
Context: Increases in levels of awareness of HIV and greater knowledge about its transmission and prevention have not always been associated with decreases in risky sexual behaviors among young people in Cameroon. More information is needed about the factors associated with these behaviors.Methods: Data on social, demographic and economic characteristics and sexual behavior were collected from 671 youths living in Bamenda, Cameroon, in 1995. Multivariate techniques were used to analyze the effects of these characteristics on early initiation of intercourse, sex with multiple partners, casual sex and nonuse of condoms.Results: The average age at first intercourse was 15.6 for males and 15.8 for females. The main reason given for initiating sexual activity was curiosity (53% of males and 42% of females). Some 37% of females and 30% of males, however, said their first sexual experience had not been voluntary. The most important factors in initiation of sex before age 16 were father's ethnicity, attending school and having a primary or middle-school education. Family composition and household standard of living were the factors most consistently associated with sexual risk behaviors. Compared with youths living in a household with a high standard of living, those living in a poor household were 1.4 times as likely to be sexually active at the time of the survey and 1.3 times as likely to have had casual sex in the previous year. Young people living with only one parent were 1.6 times as likely as those in two-parent households to be sexually active, 2.8 times as likely to have multiple concurrent partners, 1.7 times as likely to have had casual sex in the previous year and I. I times as likely not to be using condoms. Living with grandparents generally had a protective effect, while living with a sibling, alone or with other persons generally increased the likelihood of engaging in sexual risk behaviors.Conclusions: Youths with few economic resources and those with less stable living environments are more likely than other youths to engage in sexual behaviors that put them at risk of contracting HIV: Improving the living conditions of families, especially those headed by single women, could help curb the spread of AIDS.