Sexual Activity Among Malaysian School-Going Adolescents

Abstract

This study aimed to identify risk and protective factors associated with sexual activity among Malaysian adolescents. Data from the World Health Organization Global School-based Student Health Survey 2012 were analyzed. A total of 23 645 students aged 12 to 17 years responded using self-administered validated questionnaire. The overall prevalence of reported ever-had sex was 8.3%. Logistic regression analysis revealed that ever-had sex was positively significantly associated with ever-used drugs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 7.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.51-9.13), and to a lesser extent, ever-smoked (aOR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.62-2.07) and ever-consumed alcohol (aOR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.15-2.53). Protective factors against ever-had sex were having a close friend (aOR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.50-0.81), parental bonding (aOR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.65-0.81), supportive peers (aOR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.69-0.86), and parental connectedness (aOR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.78-0.99). Although the prevalence of sexual activity among school-going adolescents in Malaysia is relatively low, identifying the risk and protective factors is crucial toward developing an integrated multiple approach to preventing sexual-related problems.

Perceptions and intervention preferences of Moroccan adolescents, parents, and teachers regarding risks and protective factors for risky sexual behaviors leading to sexually transmitted infections in adolescents: qualitative findings

“…In agreement with previous studies [21, 25, 34, 39, 40], incorrect or a lack of knowledge about sexuality, modes of STI transmission, and STI protection were viewed by most participants in all three categories as a major facilitator of adolescents to engage in risky sexual behaviors by making them vulnerable to unsafe and inappropriate reproductive health choices, which can have detrimental effects on their reproductive health. This lack of awareness was due to limited sex education, especially within the family, as many parents revealed that their knowledge and information regarding STIs were insufficient.…”

“…The decision to engage in risky sexual behaviors has been shown to be influenced by a number of facilitating and protective factors [28, 38, 39]. Globally, a number of studies have already been conducted to determine risks and protective factors associated with sexual activity among school-going adolescents [11, 22, 39–41].…”

“…The decision to engage in risky sexual behaviors has been shown to be influenced by a number of facilitating and protective factors [28, 38, 39]. Globally, a number of studies have already been conducted to determine risks and protective factors associated with sexual activity among school-going adolescents [11, 22, 39–41]. These and others have shown that poor knowledge about sexuality and STIs, substance use, peer pressure, adolescent curiosity, poverty, poor parental supervision, and globalization are strongly associated with adolescent risky sexual activity [25, 28, 31, 33, 38–40, 42].…”

Questionnaire development and validity to measure sexual intention among youth in Malaysia

“…In general, youths especially from developing countries including Malaysia, are practicing unsafe sexual activities such as having sex with multiple partners and sex without condom or contraception. Only about a third of sexually active youths in China and Malaysia used condoms every time they had sex [ 7 , 8 ]. Hence, the unsafe sexual activities predispose them to detrimental complications that include sexually transmitted diseases including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, unplanned pregnancy, illegal abortions and baby dumping.…”

Association between social-cognitive factors and intention towards sexual activity among school-going late adolescents in Kuantan, Malaysia

“…A local study reported that students with higher premarital sexual experience showed significantly higher scores in sexual intention than students without premarital sexual experience (Abdullah et al, 2020). Similarly, a study by Ahmad et al (2014) demonstrated a positive correlation between premarital sexual practices with smoking, drinking alcohol, and using illicit drugs. A study conducted in Negeri Sembilan, another state of Malaysia also found that students who smoked cigarettes were Table 3.…”