Factors, Context and Correlates of First Heterosexual Sex, Sexual Coercion and Sexual Risk Behaviours among Adolescents in Botswana

Serai Daniel Rakgoasi, University of Botswana
Mpho Keetile, University of Botswana

This paper investigates the context and correlates of first heterosexual sex among adolescents in Botswana, and the association between age-at-first-sex; consent at first sex; experience of coercion and subsequent sexual practices. This paper used a sample of 3796 cases derived from the 2013 Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS IV). Data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistical methods and results were considered statistically significant at p<0.05. Mean age at first sex for the sampled adolescents was 17.9. Females, adolescents residing in cities and towns, and those who started sexual activity earlier were more likely to report to have experienced sexual coercion and having more than one sexual partners. There is need for HIV prevention programs targeting adolescents to address contextual factors and circumstances around young people’s initiation into sexual intercourse, as well as the psycho social, and cultural norms pertaining to initiation of sex