Côte d'Ivoire is the country worst affected by the HIV epidemic in West Africa, and young people in this country are a particularly vulnerable group. This study examined the relation between parental factors and sexual risk-taking among young people using logistic regression and survival analysis methods. Three parental factors (living in the same household as the father during childhood, perceived parental disapproval of early and premarital pregnancy, and parent-child communication about sexual abstinence) were positively associated with primary sexual abstinence (defined as yet to experience sexual debut), secondary sexual abstinence (defined as sexual abstinence subsequent to sexual debut) and reduced number of sex partners. The findings suggest that parental monitoring and control are important predictors of youth sexual behaviours and underscore the need to target parents and guardians in efforts to promote responsible sexual behaviours among adolescents. It is important to promote parent-child communication about sexual issues and empower parents and guardians to communicate effectively with their children and wards about sexual issues. RÉSUMÉFacteurs parentaux et la prise de risque sexuel chez les jeunes gens en Côte-d'lvoire. La Côte-d'lvoire est le pays le plus atteint par l'épidémie du VIH en Afrique de l'ouest et les jeunes gens de ce pays constituent un groupe surtout vulnérable. Cette étude a examiné le rapport entre les facteurs parentaux et la prise de risque sexuel chez les jeunes gens à l'aide de la regression logistique et la méthode de l'analyse de survie. Trois facteurs parentaux (le fait d'habiter dans la mème maison que le père pendant l'enfance, la désapprobation parentale perçue de la grossesse précoce et la grossesse prémaritale et la communication parent-enfant concernant l'abstinence sexuelle primaire (définie comme n'ayant pas encore eu l'expérience sexuelle), l'abstinence sexuelle secondarie (définie comme une abstinence sexuelle postérieure à l'expérience sexuelle initiale) et le nombre réduit de partenaires sexuels. Les résultats démontrent que la surveillance et l'autorité des parents sont des facteurs importants qui soulignent le besoin de viser les parents et les tuteurs dans les tentatives de promouvoir des comportements sexuels responsables chez les adolescents. Il est important de promouvoir la communication parent-enfant par rapport aux questions sexuelles et de capabiliser les parents et les tuteurs afin qu'ils puissent communiquer de manière effetive avec leurs enfants et leurs pupilles quant aux questions sexuelles. (Rev Afr Santé Reprod 2005; 9[1]: 49-65)

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The analyses presented in this paper document the impact of a community mobilization effort in Cameroon. Between 1997 and 1998, a local non-governmental organization worked with community associations, Njangi, in one urban and one rural location to promote knowledge and positive practices concerning family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, and treatment of common childhood diseases. Based on a multi-tiered structure, the project involved selecting and training two prominent and influential members of each community as "relais" or middlemen. The "relais" then trained mobilizers from participating Njangis to provide relevant information and help to mobilize their fellow members in favor of the positive attitudes and practices promoted by the project. The project was evaluated using baseline and follow-up measurement of pertinent indicators, and service statistics. Results suggest that the intervention had significant influence in the rural location with noticeable positive effects on knowledge and practices of family planning, knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS and STIs, and use of health services. In the urban location, for programmatic and extraneous factors, the intervention was not effective. The paper discusses the lessons learnt from the intervention and offers pertinent suggestions for replicating the intervention in rural settings.