Association Between Early Sexual Debut and New HIV Infections Among Adolescents and Young Adults in 11 African Countries
Jiawei Hea b, Abraham D. Flaxmana b, Jeffrey W. Eatonc d, Aleksandr Y. Aravkina b, Peng Zhenga b, Reed J D Sorensena b, Shachi Mittale, Hmwe Hmwe Kyua f g✉
- aDepartment of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- bInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- cCenter for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
- dMRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- eDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
- fDepartment of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. hmwekyu@uw.edu
- gInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. hmwekyu@uw.edu
- ✉Corresponding author
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Abstract
We investigated the association between early sexual debut and HIV infection among adolescents and young adults. Analyzing data from nationally representative Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) surveys in 11 African countries, the research employed a multivariate logistic regression model to assess the relationship between the early sexual debut and new HIV infections in the age group of 10-24 years. The results revealed a significant and robust association, indicating that young individuals who experienced early sexual debut were approximately 2.65 times more likely to contract HIV than those who did not, even after accounting for other variables. These findings align with prior research suggesting that early initiation of sexual activity may increase vulnerability to HIV infection due to factors such as biological susceptibility and risky behaviors like low condom use and multiple sexual partners. The implications of these findings for HIV prevention strategies are substantial, suggesting that interventions aimed at delaying sexual debut could be an effective component in reducing HIV risk for this population. Targeted sex education programs that address the risks of early sexual debut may play a pivotal role in these prevention efforts. By employing a comprehensive approach, there is a possibility to advance efforts towards ending AIDS by 2030.
TL;DRA significant and robust association was revealed between early sexual debut and HIV infection among adolescents and young adults, indicating that young individuals who experienced early sexual debut were approximately 2.65 times more likely to contract HIV than those who did not, even after accounting for other variables. (Semantic Scholar)