Factors Determining the Use of Condoms at the Onset of Pre-marital Sexual Relationships among Never Married Youths in Zambia

An emerging public health concern is the high risk of sexual behaviour among youths with increasing number of sexually active youths in developing countries engaging in premarital sex, more especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Consistent condom use is central to the prevention of unwanted pregnancies, HIV and other STIs, yet young men and women alike are hesitant to use condoms because of the threats they encounter in their relationships, cultural roles and at times economic survival. The present study used data from the 2013 Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS), and data analysis was restricted to never married youths to explore factors that determine condom use at the onset of pre-marital sexual relationships among youth in Zambia. More than half of the respondents were in the age range 15-19, while the rest were aged between 20-24, 70% of females and 64.2% of males had reached secondary education and higher. Results showed that 20% of females and 32% of males reported having been sexually active by the age of 15, female respondents from poor backgrounds reported more likelihood of being sexually active by the age 15. Women who are working and men and those with lower education were more likely to have been sexually active by the age of 15.More females (45.9%) reported to have used a condom at first sex than their male counterparts (31%). Respondents from rural areas and those from a rich background were also more likely to report using a condom at first sex than their counterparts from urban areas and or from a poor background. Furthermore, education significantly increased the likelihood of young women reporting to have used a condom at first sex for both genders. Logistic regression confirmed that age, wealth, education, reading a newspaper at least once a week and watching television had significant influence on using a condom at first sex among the participants. We recommend that the never married youths need to be empowered with educational opportunities together with increased information dissemination on the advantages of abstinence from premarital sex and also the benefits of condom use if the youths must engage in premarital sex.