Learning about Sex in Uganda: Evidence from Masaka District

Anastasia J. Gage, Tulane University
Brent Wolf, Medical Research Council, The Gambia
Stella Neema, Makerere Institute of Social Research

Providing information about sex, contraception and condoms is a crucial component of efforts aimed at preventing unwanted pregnancy and HIV. However, most discussions of communication about sex have focused on communication between sexual partners, rather than on the context in which sex is learned and information about sex (and sexuality itself) exchanged. This paper examines the various channels through which young people seek out and receive information about sex-related topics. Particular attention is paid to the extent and timing of family communication with children about sex, the kind of information that families convey to young people, and variations by gender. The paper also examines changes over time in information channels and the effect of prior sexual experience on how adolescents receive and react to messages presented by various actors. The data are derived from focus group discussions conducted in Masaka District in 1995.