[Sexual behavioral among adolescents and young people in Subsaharan Africa and related factors]

Abstract

This study has as specific objective to analyze the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors and their social factors in Francophone sub-Saharan African countries among young people by highlighting the differences between countries. The data used are those of the national Demographic and Health Surveys. The following are the main results of the study: 1) Among males, the average age at first sex is lower in two Central African countries, the Congo and DRC and in Benin than in Burkina Faso, and in strongly Islamized countries such as Chad, Senegal and Mali; 2) Among girls, an opposite schema has, to some extent, been observed; 3) In the countries studied, multi-partner sexual activity persists, but Cameroon, Congo, Cote-d'Ivoire, Benin and Guinea are more affected by this problem than other countries; 4) the rate of condom use at last sex has improved but some countries like Burkina Faso, Cote-d'Ivoire, Senegal and Cameroon are more advanced than others; 5) Several family, extra-family and individual factors influence risky sexual behaviors in the countries studied but the intensity and direction of observed statistical relations do not necessarily converge. Therefore, the global explanation approach of young people's sexual behaviors is relevant in the countries studied, but the weight of its various dimensions in the explanation varies according to the country. These results should be considered in the orientation of strategies of the fight against HIV/AIDS in these countries.