The Burden and Predictors of Early Sexual Initiation among School-Going Adolescents in Rural Settlements in Rivers State, Nigeria

Introduction. Early sexual initiation is the art of initiating sexual activity before age 15. This study aimed to identify the burden and predictors of early sexual initiation among school-­going adolescents in rural settlements in Rivers State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods. A cross-­sectional study was conducted among 420 school-­going senior secondary school adolescents of coeducational schools aged 15–19 from May 2023 to September 2023. A multi-­stage sampling procedure was used to select respondents from four senior secondary coeducational schools. Data were collected using a semi-structured interviewer-­assisted questionnaire. Frequency tables were generated and Logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of early sexual initiation at a 5% level of significance. Results. The mean age of respondents was 15.7 ± 0.8 years. The mean age at early sexual initiation was 12.2 ± 1.2 years. The burden of early sexual initiation and ever-had sex among the respondents was 46% and 54.8% respectively with poor academic performance, school dropout, STI infection, pregnancy, and HIV infection experienced as outcomes of first sexual initiation among the respondents. The statistically significant predictors of early sexual initiation were adolescents having worked for pay, currently working for pay, and adolescents’ age at first sexual partner (OR = 4.6; 95% CI = 1.6–12.7; P = 0.004, OR = 6.6; 95% CI = 1.9–23.7; P = 0.003 and OR = 3.1; 95% CI = 1.3–7.2; P = 0.009). Conclusion. Sexuality education and programmes aimed at encouraging school-­going adolescents to delay first-sex initiation should be encouraged.