PATTERNS OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG OUT-OF-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN EGBEDA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE

Abstract

Adolescents are important group of the population. The process of adolescents’ maturation is influenced by recognised risk and protective factors that are present during adolescence, their families and the environment. Many people initiate sexual intercourse during their adolescent years and being out of school has been found to be a risk factor for initiation of health risk behaviours including high-risk sexual behaviours. The study was aimed at assessing the patterns of sexual behaviour among out-of-school adolescents in Egbeda local government area, Oyo State. The study was carried out using a cross-sectional study design. A three-stage sampling technique was adopted to select 400 out-of-school adolescents within the age of 15- 19years. The study employed quantitative method of data collection using interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire. Collected data were sorted and analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software version 21 and analysis of data was carried out using descriptive and inferential statistics. Safe sexual practices were assessed on a 30-point scale, score <20 and ≥20 were considered to be unsafe and safe sexual practice respectively. The level of significance (α) was set at 95% confidence level. The mean age of respondents was 17.5 ± 0.1 years, more than half were females (55.5%) and most (97.8%) of them were single.Majority (75.0%) of the respondents discussedsexual matters with friends and 72.3% had friends who were sexually active. Majority (82.8%) of respondents had a boy/girlfriend and many (64.8%) of the respondents had sexual intercourse. The lowest age at sexual debut was 13 years. Some (45.5%) of respondents used contraceptive the last time they had sexual intercourse and condom was used more (31.8%) than other contraceptive methods. Some (47.3%) of respondents have not used contraceptives in the past 12months. Less than a third (30.3%) of respondents had been forced by someone to engage in sexual intercourse. Few (32.6%) did engage in oral sex and 26.3% engaged in anal sex. Many (67.8%) of respondents are exposed to movies and musicals that teach and promote sexual activities. Few (15.5%) of respondents engaged in sexual activities in order to get money to take care of themselves. Some (46.3%) of respondents were encouraged by friends to engage in sexual activities. Majority (94.8%) of the respondents engaged in unsafe sexual practice while few (5.3%) engaged in safe sexual practices. There was a significant association between age (p = 0.00), sex (p = 0.04), occupation (p = 0.01) and experience of sexual intercourse. Older respondents (OR= 8.29) and males (R= 0.68) are more likely to have sexual intercourse. Findings reveal that most out-of-school adolescents were sexually active and a substantial majority of them engaged in unsafe sexual practices. Environmental factors and the people adolescents see as models especially their friends influenced their decisions concerning the kind of sexual behaviours to adopt. The need for further expansion and strengthening of information and services to adolescents, particularly for the less accessible out-of-school ones should be encouraged.