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ONSET OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN HIV/AIDS-AFFECTED HOUSEHOLDS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2014

MONICA A. MAGADI  and
JOSEPH UCHUDI
MONICA A. MAGADI*
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, University of Hull, UK
JOSEPH UCHUDI
Affiliation:
Merlin, Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
*
1Corresponding author. Email: m.magadi@hull.ac.uk
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Summary

This paper examines the effect of orphanhood and HIV status of adults in a household on onset of sexual activity among adolescent girls and boys aged 15–17 years in sub-Saharan Africa. Multilevel logistic regression models were applied to pooled Demographic and Health Surveys data from nineteen countries of sub-Saharan Africa where HIV test data were collected during 2003–2008 from nationally representative samples of men and women of reproductive age. The results highlight increased vulnerability among adolescent boys and girls living in households where an adult is infected with HIV, and adolescent boys who are paternal orphans. On average, adolescent boys and girls living in households where at least one adult is HIV-positive have about 25% higher odds of having initiated sexual activity compared with their counterparts of similar characteristics in households where no adult is HIV-positive. Furthermore, adolescent boys who are paternal orphans have about 25% higher odds of having initiated sexual activity than their non-orphan counterparts of similar individual characteristics. Further analysis reveals that household circumstances relating to living arrangements and poverty are important pathways through which household HIV/AIDS status is linked to adolescent sexual debut. The findings underscore the importance of international efforts in the sub-Saharan Africa region to address the plight of other children in HIV/AIDS-affected households, beyond orphans.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , March 2015 , pp. 238 - 257
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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