HIV and AIDS
Is poverty a driver for risky sexual behaviour? evidence from national surveys of adolescents in four African countries
Understanding the influence of poverty on adolescent’s sexual behaviour
Authors:
N. Nadise; E. Zulu; J. Ciera
Publisher:
African journal of Reproductive Health, 2007
This article, published in the African Journal of Reproductive Health provides evidence on the link between poverty and risky sexual behaviour. It examines the effect of wealth status on age at first sex, condom use, and multiple partners using data from more than 19,000 adolescents from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda. The results show that the wealthiest girls in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Malawi have later sexual debut compared with poorer adolescents, but this association was not significant in Uganda. Wealth status is weaker among males and significant only in Malawi, where those in the middle income group had earlier sexual debut. Wealthier adolescents were most likely to use condoms, but wealth status was not associated with the number of sexual partners.
The paper concludes that understanding patterns and motivations of early sexual debut, non-use of condoms, and multiple partnerships is an important contribution to HIV prevention strategies. From this study poverty appears to influence early sexual debut, especially among females, and the poor are less likely to be using condoms. Therefore, poverty, by influencing sexual behaviour and access to services, can influence the transmission of HIV infection.
