Impact of social environment on sexual behaviors of adolescent girls in 12 sub-Saharan African countries: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Plain language summary Adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of dropping out of school when they get pregnant. There are also several health risks associated with adolescent pregnancies. This study explored factors in the adolescent girl’s social environment which could impact their sexual behaviors. We examined data from adolescent girls in 12 sub-Saharan African Countries, namely, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Mauritania, Senegal, Swaziland, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Seychelles and Mozambique. After analyzing the data, we found that adolescent girls who reported not being close with their parents were more likely to debut sex. Adolescent girls who felt supported by their friends had a higher number of sexual partners. Thus, support from parents and peers play a vital role in the sexual behaviors of adolescent girls.

Keywords

• Adolescent girls
• Social environment
• Sexual debut
• Sexual behaviors
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Parental monitoring