BACKGROUND Gender-based violence is an important risk factor for adverse reproductive health (RH). Community-level violence may inhibit young women's ability to engage in safer sexual behaviors due to a lack of control over sexual encounters. Few studies examine violence as a contextual risk factor. METHODS Using nationally representative data from five African countries, the association betw...

BACKGROUND Premarital counseling equips couples with information about all aspects of sexuality and the related health issues. This study was aimed to assess the quality of premarital counseling services in health care centers in Tabriz. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on 236 randomly selected women from premarital counseling centers in Tabriz was carried out and a self-structur...

During the past 20 years, substantial reductions have occurred in the proportion of young women who report marrying as teenagers in sub-Saharan Africa. An oft-stated consequence of a delay in age at marriage is a rise in the proportion of young women who engage in premarital sex. This paper investigates the links between changing age at marriage and premarital sexual behavior in 27 sub-Saharan ...

BACKGROUND The increasing trend of premarital sexual experience and unintended pregnancies in Malaysia warrants sustained and serious attention. The sensitivities of sex-related issues in a Muslim-majority country create various types of barriers to sexual and reproductive health information, support and practices. This study aims to gain understanding of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of ...

Background: Globally, adolescent sexual behavior is a major health concern and the focus of many researches. However, negative attitude towards premarital sex and sense of community belonging have not been examined in relation to adolescent sexual behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine whether these two factors are associated with adolescent sexual behavior. Methods: We conducted a ...

CONTEXT Understanding the nature and magnitude of gender differences in sexual norms among young adults in Nicaragua, and how these differences affect sexual behavior, is important for the design of reproductive health programs. METHODS A representative cross-sectional survey was conducted in six departments in the Pacific region of Nicaragua in 1998. A total of 552 never-married women and 28...

Background: Premarital sexual practice increases adolescents risk for infection with HIV and other STDs. In Ethiopia, an increasingly large number of adolescents are enrolled in preparatory schools. Early initiation to sexual intercourse without having proper protection has been one of the concerns. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess magnitude of premarital sexual practice and...

PURPOSE This paper presents the findings of a cross-sectional survey on the risk and protective factors of premarital sexual behavior among rural female adolescents in Peninsular Malaysia. METHODS We investigated data on 770 female respondents aged 13-17 years in rural areas to identify predictive factors for premarital sexual intercourse. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate r...

Introduction: Early initiation of sex increases the risks of unprotected sex, multiple partners, and sexually transmitted infections. The effective factors of premarital sexual intercourse have not been widely studied. Objective: This study aimed at identifying environmental factors influencing premarital sexual intercoursefromthe Iranian youths’ perspective. Materials and M...

BACKGROUND Premarital sexual behaviors are important issue for women's health. The present study was designed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a scale in order to identify young women who are at greater risk of premarital sexual behavior. METHOD This was an exploratory mixed method investigation. Indeed, the study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, qualitati...