Role of Individual, Family, and Peers in Sexual Initiation Among Late Adolescents Attending Institutions of Higher Learning in Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2016
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence and the factors associated with sexual initiation among the late adolescents in 6 institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. A total of 1572 students completed self-administered questionnaires between April and September 2013. Hierarchical multivariate logistic regression analyses stratified by gender were employed to identify the correlates of sexual initiation. The analyses were further adjusted by sampling weights. The overall prevalence of sexual initiation was 9.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.3-11.6), 18.1% (95% CI = 15.1-21.5) among males, and 4.1% (95% CI = 2.9-5.9) among females. The risk factors identified in this study supported the influence of the individual, family, and peer factors in the social-ecological model on adolescents' behaviors. The findings suggest the need for risk-reduction strategies aimed at the individual, family, and peer levels as well as the importance of gender-specific focus in assuring better outcomes.
Keywords
Adolescent health, Family factors, Institutions of higher learning, Late adolescents, Malaysia, Peer factors, Sexual initiation, Social-ecological model
Divisions
fac_med
Funders
UMGC (GC 001A-14 HTM)
Publication Title
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health
Volume
28
Issue
4
Publisher
SAGE Publications (UK and US)