Sexual debut and the use of contraception among adolescents
Barbara Woynarowska
National Research Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw,
Poland
Aim. Presentation data concerning: frequency of sexual
initiation, age of first intercourse and use of contraception among adolescents
in Poland and other 29 countries.
Method and material. An international standard
questionnaire from HBSC study (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: A WHO
Collaborative Cross-national Study) was used. The sexual behaviour items were
adapted from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in the US. Representative
samples of adolescents were used: (1) HBSC survey 2001/2002, 15-year-olds in 30
countries in Europe, Canada and Israel (total sample size – 44601, in Poland
2152) – (2) Polish survey 2005, 16- and 18-year-olds (N=2796).
Results. Some key findings are presented in table below:
| Poland | 30 HBSC countries | |||||||||
| Boys (yrs) | Girls (yrs) | Boys (15 yrs) | Girls (15 yrs) | |||||||
| 15 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 18 | Mean | Range | Mean | Range | |
| Having had sexual intercourse (%) | 20,9 | 34,9 | 49,6 | 9,2 | 20,6 | 47,3 | 28,1 | 18,0-70,8 | 20,2 | 9,2-78,8 |
| Mean age at first sexual intercourse (years) | 14,1 | 15 | 16,6 | 14,7 | 15,7 | 16,9 | 14 | 13,5-14,5 | 14,3 | 13,6-14,9 |
| Having lifetime 3 or more sexual partners (%) | – | 37,3 | 35,3 | – | 12,2 | 13,3 | – | – | – | – |
| Use at least one method of contraception (%)* | 73,2 | 82,8 | 91,4 | 72,5 | 86,8 | 92,7 | 86,1 | 73,4-92,4 | 84,6 | 72,5-97,0 |
| Use of condoms (%)* | 81,7 | 78,2 | 86,6 | 81,9 | 73,5 | 76,1 | 80,2 | 72,6-91,2 | 69,6 | 57,6-89,1 |
* used during the last sexual intercourse by adolescent or his/her
partner
In Poland the proportion of adolescents after sexual debut
dramatically increases with age and gender differences decreases with age (at
the age 18 years 49,6% of boys and 47,3 % of girls experienced sexual
intercourse). Among 18-year-olds the percentages reporting (lifetime) 3 or more
sexual partners was almost three times largest among boys (35,3%) than among
girls (13,3%).There is not difference between 16- and 18-year-olds. The
proportion of sexually active reporting the use at least one method of
contraception during last intercourse is similar for boys and girls and in both
gender increases with age. Boys are more likely than girls to report condom use
in the last intercourse, but there is not increase percentages of condom users
with age.
The
results of HBSC study carried out in 30 countries demonstrated differences
across countries in the proportion of 15-year-olds:
–
having had sexual intercourse (in both gender from 15% in Poland to 75% in
Greenland);
–
use during the last sexual intercourse: at least one form of contraception (from
73% in Poland to 95% in the Netherlands) and condom (from 64% in Finland to 89%
in Greece).
Mean age at first sexual intercourse ranges from 13,5 years in
Lithuania to 14,5 years in Ukraine. It is slightly lower for boys than for girls;
the largest gender difference (about 1 year) was found in Portugal.
Cross-national differences undoubtedly reflect fundamental cultural, social,
religious, educational and public policy differences across countries. Gaining
information about nature and extent of sexual behaviour among adolescents are
needed to help develop polices and programmes on young people sexual health.
Paper prepared in the frame of grant 2 P05D 064 27