Early sexual initiation and risk factors in Serbian adolescents: Data from the National Health Survey

Abstract

Objectives To identify factors associated with sexual initiation before the age of 17 among Serbian adolescents and to assess whether the latter is associated with other risky behaviours, such as tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use, and fighting.

Methods The study was an analysis of data gathered by the 2006 Serbian National Population Health Survey in which information concerning adolescents was obtained by means of questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model.

Results A total of 474 adolescents aged 15 and 16 completed the survey. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male respondents reporting sexual initiation were significantly more likely to smoke daily and to have experienced two or more episodes of drunkenness in the past. Female respondents reporting sexual initiation were significantly more likely to live with both parents, to feel insecure in school, to smoke daily and to drink more than once a week.

Conclusions A strong association was found between adolescent sexual initiation and substance abuse. Although a causal relationship is evidently not established, one might contemplate including measures lowering the frequency and intensity of substance abuse in health prevention programmes and interventions aiming at reducing the risks associated with sexual initiation.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• Sexual initiation
• Risk factors
• Serbia

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The 2006 National Population Health Survey for the population of Serbia was carried out by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia with financial and professional support of the World Bank, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (Country Office Serbia) and the Institute of Public Health of Serbia ‘Dr Milan Jovanovic Batut’.

The authors would like to thank Lynne Katsikas for the linguistic editing of the manuscript.

Source of funding: The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Serbia (grant no.175087).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and the writing of the paper.