Demographic and lifestyle factors associated with sexual activity among adolescents in Malaysia |
| |
| Authors: | Yong Kang Cheah Hock Kuang Lim Chee Cheong Kee Sumarni Mohd Ghazali |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. School of Economics, Finance and Banking, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia;2. Health Risk assessment Unit, Environmental Health Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;3. Epidemiology and Bio-statistic Unit, Medical Research Resource Centre, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| |
| Abstract: | Having a better understanding of the factors associated with sexual behaviour among adolescents is important as it may assist government in lowering the prevalence of teen pregnancy. The objective of the present study is to examine the effects of demographic and lifestyle factors on the likelihood of engaging in sexual intercourse with a focus on Malaysian adolescents. Using a nationally representative data collected by the Ministry of Health Malaysia, the present study finds that age, self-rated academic performance, parents’ marital status, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking can significantly affect the sexual behaviour among adolescents. The present study concludes by discussing the policy implications of these findings. As a measure towards reducing underage sex, successful policies should be targeted primarily at adolescents who aged more than 16 years self-rate their academic performance as poor, have single parents, and adopt alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking behaviours. |
| |
| Keywords: | Adolescent demographic factor intercourse lifestyle sex |
|
|
