Sexual and AIDS-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Adolescents in Sierra Leone, West Africa

Abstract

A survey of 307 Sierra Leonean adolescents between the ages of thirteen and nineteen was assessed to determine their sexual and AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Results indicate high sexual activity rates among the sampled group; 89 percent of the males and 68 percent of the females had engaged in sexual intercourse. The mean age at first sexual intercourse was found to be 14.4 years for males and 15.1 years for females. Sixty-five percent of the males and 35 percent of the females reported having three or more sexual partners over their lifetime. Other findings included high rates of STDs and HIV/AIDS, low reported condom use, low reported use of other birth control methods, and low knowledge scores concerning pregnancy prevention, HIV/AIDS and STDs. Implications of these findings are discussed.