Trends in age at first sex in Ghana

Akwasi Kumi-Kyereme, University of Cape Coast
Joshua Amo-Adjei, University of Cape Coast

This paper assesses the changes in the proportion of women who experienced first sex before entering adulthood using the 1988 and 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data. In 1988, the 1965-1969 cohort reported the highest proportion (91%) whereas the highest (68%) was reported by the 20-24 cohort in 2008. The results from a survival analysis show that the risk of having sex was significantly lower among women with tertiary education in both years. For instance, the risk of having sex in 2008 was 1.18 times higher among women with no education compared with women with tertiary level of education. Also the risk of having sex was higher among women who identified themselves as Akans and those who lived in rural areas. To the extent that timing of sexual debut is a measure of behaviour change, we could expect a deeper understanding of the dynamics to ultimately influence HIV prevention.