Article Sidebar
Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
Risky sexual behaviours of high-school pupils in an era of HIV and AIDS
Abstract
Objective. To identify risky sexual behaviours and demographic factors that place high-school pupils at risk of HIV and AIDS.
Methods. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to explore factors influencing the sexual behaviour of high-school pupils (mean age 15.4 years; SD 1.11). Structured self-reported
questionnaires were completed by all grade 10 pupils (N=805) at all the Wentworth, Durban, public high schools.
Results. Significant gender differences in sexual practices were reported, such as males being more likely to engage in sexual activity than females (OR 4.92; p<0.001). More males (24.8%) initiated sex before age 12, compared with more females (30%) who initiated sex between 16 to 20 years of age (p<0.001). Significantly more males preferred older partners than females (p=0.002), more females were forced to have sex than males (p =0.009), and more males used alcohol on the last occasion of sex than females (p=0.04). Religious affiliation and parental supervision were found to have a significant effect on sexual
activity among pupils.
Conclusions. High-school pupils are at high risk of HIV and AIDS, yet they continue to engage in risky sexual behaviours. Preventive efforts therefore need to be aggressively up-scaled and redirected towards specific risky practices, taking gender differences into account. Contextual factors such as religious norms and parental supervision also require greater attention. Risky sexual behaviours are reflective of a broader crisis in society.
South African Medical Journal Vol. 98 (5) 2008 pp.394-398.
