Initiation of Sexual Activity and Subsequent Sexual Behavior among Female Adolescents in Nairobi Urban Slums

Monica A. Magadi, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

A recent cross-sectional survey conducted among 1934 female adolescents aged 12-24 years in Nairobi slums suggests that sexual activity starts earlier in the slums than the rest of Kenya. The survey further showed that a significant proportion (about one in four) of first sexual encounters among adolescent girls in the slums involve some form of coercion (forced or tricked into having sex). This paper examines: factors influencing timing of initiation of sex; and the relationship between undesirable circumstances of sexual initiation (young age or coercion) and subsequent sexual behavior (number of sex partners in the past 12 months, ever use of contraceptives, condom use in last sexual encounter). Undesirable circumstances of sexual initiation may lead to risky sexual behavior (multiple partners, non-use of contraceptives/ condoms). The results can be used to inform programs/policies addressing critical adolescent reproductive health issues in the developing countries, particularly the rapidly expanding urban poor population.