How Reliable Are Reports of Early Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Events In Demographic and Health Surveys?

Neal,; Hosegood, Victoria

doi:10.1363/intsexrephea.41.4.0210

Cited by 37 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Amongst the 223 newly identified sexually active students, this trend was observed again, the majority of these students were under 17 years old. This finding is congruent with other studies which have shown that young women 15–19 years were less willing to report marriages and first births before age 15 than were women from the same group when asked again five years later [12]. This unwillingness to report sexual activity is likely due to broader cultural and social factors which govern the acceptability of sexual activity amongst students [11, 12, 38].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Previous research suggests particular difficulty in identifying sexually active young women [2, 12]. Using MSAP variables we were able to identify an additional 223 potentially sexually active students, and almost double the number of those newly identified were young women.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Sexual activity is an important and widely used proxy indicator for increased risk of possible HIV, STI infection or pregnancy, especially considering the low levels of condom use amongst young people [9, 11]. Research on obtaining better approximations of sexual activity is limited [12]. The use of multiple data-points to get better estimations on sensitive topics has been used in the field of adolescent pregnancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Who is sexually active? Using a multi-component sexual activity profile (MSAP) to explore, identify and describe sexually-active high-school students in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundUnderstanding sexual activity is necessary to prevent sexually transmitted infections. Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa suggests that 10–20% of youth aged 15–24 are sexually active before reaching 15 years, yet estimating sexual activity remains challenging. This study explored the use of multiple sexual health outcomes to identify sexually-active young women in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.MethodsUsing a multi-component sexual activity profile (MSAP), we aimed to identify sexually active students. Based on data from 2675 grade 9 and 10 students attending 14 high schools) in rural KwaZulu-Natal, we constructed a descriptive diagram identifying students who were sexually active by self-report vs MSAP profile. T-tests for two independent samples was performed to compare by sex and ecological variables that characterise students newly-identified as sexually active.ResultsUsing self-report only, 40.3% self-reported as sexually active, whilst the MSAP identified 48.7% (223 additional students). More females were identified than males. Younger adolescents were more likely to underreport sexual activity but were identified using MSAP. Newly-identified as sexually active were more likely to be female (p = < 0.000), 15 years old or younger (p = 0.008), less likely to perceive being at risk (p = 0.037) or have ever used alcohol (p = < 0.000). At a relational level, they were less likely to report having ever had a boyfriend/girlfriend (p = 0.000) or to have felt pressured to have sex by their peers (p = < 0.000) or partners (p = 0.008). At a familial level they more likely to be of medium socioeconomic (SES) status (p = 0.037) whilst at a school and community level they were less likely to have repeated a grade (p = 0.024) and were more likely to be engaged in social activities (p = 0.032).ConclusionsThe MSAP profile identified more potentially sexually active students, and gave insight into the characteristics of students who may be unwilling to self-report sexual activity Future work should investigate how this approach could enhance and describe sexually-active adolescents for research and healthcare provision.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Who is sexually active? Using a multi-component sexual activity profile (MSAP) to explore, identify and describe sexually-active high-school students in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This may be prone to either intentional or unintentional recall bias around age at first birth, and in particular there is some evidence that very young adolescent births may be under-reported: a previous study suggests this is most likely when using a sample of 15–19 year olds [40], so our use of a sample of 20–29 year old women should minimise this. Further potential bias may be introduced as the survey will record the birth at the place where the mother was residing at the time of the survey, not where she was at the time of the birth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping adolescent first births within three east African countries using data from Demographic and Health Surveys: exploring geospatial methods to inform policy

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Early adolescent pregnancy presents a major barrier to the health and wellbeing of young women and their children. Previous studies suggest geographic heterogeneity in adolescent births, with clear "hot spots" experiencing very high prevalence of teenage pregnancy. As the reduction of adolescent pregnancy is a priority in many countries, further detailed information of the geographical areas where they most commonly occur is of value to national and district level policy makers. The aim of this study is to develop a comprehensive assessment of the geographical distribution of adolescent first births in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania using Demographic and Household (DHS) data using descriptive, spatial analysis and spatial modelling methods. Methods: The most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) among women aged 20 to 29 in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda were utilised. Analyses were carried out on first births occurring before the age of 20 years, but were disaggregated in to three age groups: <16, 16/17 and 18/19 years. In addition to basic descriptive choropleths, prevalence maps were created from the GPS-located cluster data utilising adaptive bandwidth kernel density estimates. To map adolescent first birth at district level with estimates of uncertainty, a Bayesian hierarchical regression modelling approach was used, employing the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) technique. Results: The findings show marked geographic heterogeneity among adolescent first births, particularly among those under 16 years. Disparities are greater in Kenya and Uganda than Tanzania. The INLA analysis which produces estimates from smaller areas suggest "pockets" of high prevalence of first births, with marked differences between neighbouring districts. Many of these high prevalence areas can be linked with underlying poverty. Conclusions: There is marked geographic heterogeneity in the prevalence of adolescent first births in East Africa, particularly in the youngest age groups. Geospatial techniques can identify these inequalities and provide policy-makers with the information needed to target areas of high prevalence and focus scarce resources where they are most needed.

show abstract

“…Recent work by Neal and Hosegood (2015) provides further reason to avoid using women of different ages to estimate trends. The authors documented significant inconsistencies in the reporting of reproductive events among women born in the same cohort but interviewed at different ages.…”

Section: Measures Of Age At First Marriage In Demographic and Health mentioning

confidence: 99%

Has Child Marriage Declined in sub‐Saharan Africa? An Analysis of Trends in 31 Countries

Koski¹,

Clark²,

Nandi³

2017

Population & Development Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How Reliable Are Reports of Early Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Events In Demographic and Health Surveys?

Cited by 37 publications

References 7 publications

Who is sexually active? Using a multi-component sexual activity profile (MSAP) to explore, identify and describe sexually-active high-school students in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Who is sexually active? Using a multi-component sexual activity profile (MSAP) to explore, identify and describe sexually-active high-school students in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Mapping adolescent first births within three east African countries using data from Demographic and Health Surveys: exploring geospatial methods to inform policy

Has Child Marriage Declined in sub‐Saharan Africa? An Analysis of Trends in 31 Countries

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About