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Teenage sexual activity in Zambia: the need for a sex education policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Vijayan K. Pillai
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of North Texas, Denton, USA
Donald L. Yates
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of North Texas, Denton, USA

Summary

Data from a study of teenage sexual activity among secondary school girls show the need for a sex education policy as a first step in controlling teenage fertility in Zambia. A large proportion of teenage females enter into close relationships with males at young ages and a high proportion of young females have engaged in sexual intercourse. Most of these sexually active females do not use family planning methods even though a large proportion of them have heard of modern methods. The teenagers receive very little sex education from their parents and a modern institutional sex education programme is needed.

Type
Short report
Copyright
Copyright © 1993, Cambridge University Press

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