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Early Sexual Debut and Its Associated Factors Among Young Women Aged 15–24 in Mali: A Multilevel Analysis

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Abstract

Early sexual debut is associated with increased risk of several sexual and reproductive health problems, including unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Hence, determining factors that promote early sexual initiation is significant to guide policy and inform interventions aimed to promote the health of young people through to adulthood. This study examined the prevalence of early sexual debut and its associated factors among young women in Mali. Using cross-sectional nationally representative data from the 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey, a total of 4063 young women aged 15–24 were included in the study. Multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was done to determine the factors associated with early sexual debut. The results were presented using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The prevalence of early sexual debut in Mali was 17.8% (95% CI; 16–19.7%). Young women who attended higher school had lower odds of early sexual debut (aOR = 0.10, 95% CI; 0.01–0.82) compared to young women who had no formal education. Young women from richest households had lower odds of early sexual debut compared to those from the poorest households (aOR = 0.48, 95% CI; 0.27–0.82). Young women from households with large family size also had lower odds of experiencing early sexual debut compared to those in small family size (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI; 0.66–0.99). Furthermore, the odds of early sexual debut were lower among young women in Koulikoro (aOR = 0.59, 95% CI; 0.39–0.90), Sikasso (aOR = 0.35, 95% CI; 0.21–0.56), Segou (aOR = 0.40, 95% CI; 0.25–0.64), and Mopti (aOR = 0.44, 95% CI; 0.23–0.82) regions compared to young women in Kayes region. Higher odds of early sexual debut were found among currently employed compared to not currently employed young women (aOR = 1.74, 95% CI; 1.42–2.12) and currently married compared to not currently married young women (aOR = 4.64, 95% CI; 3.64–5.92). Young women from the Peulh ethnic groups compared to those from the Bambara ethnic groups were at a higher odds of early sexual debut (aOR = 1.43, 95% CI; 1.03–1.99). The findings suggest the need for interventions aimed at addressing early sexual debut among young women. These can include emphasizing the promotion and importance of female education, addressing the cultural practices that promote negative sexual norms/practices such as child marriages, and ensuring social change through efforts such as creating employment or economic opportunities for families.

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Data Availability

Data for this study were sourced from Demographic and Health surveys (DHS) and are available here: http://dhsprogram.com/data/available-datasets.cfm.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

    Bernard Yeboah-Asiamah Asare

  2. Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

    Bernard Yeboah-Asiamah Asare

  3. HaSET Maternal and Child Health Research Program, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Betregiorgis Zegeye

  4. The Australian Centre for Public and Population Health Research, Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

    Bright Opoku Ahinkorah & Edward Kwabena Ameyaw

  5. Department of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

    Abdul-Aziz Seidu

  6. College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Abdul-Aziz Seidu

  7. School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Sanni Yaya

  8. The George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Sanni Yaya

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  1. Bernard Yeboah-Asiamah Asare
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We used publicly available DHS data from DHS MEASURES for analysis of this study. The institution that commissioned funded and managed the survey carried out ethical responsibilities and, hence, further ethical clearance was not required. ICF international ensured that the protocol of the survey was compliant with U.S. Department of Health and Human Service regulations for protection of human subjects. More details regarding DHS data and ethical standards are available at: http://goo.gl/ny8T6X.

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Asare, B.YA., Zegeye, B., Ahinkorah, B.O. et al. Early Sexual Debut and Its Associated Factors Among Young Women Aged 15–24 in Mali: A Multilevel Analysis. Arch Sex Behav 52, 2491–2502 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02591-w

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