Sexual Practice of Adolescents in a Sahelian Community Environment: Case of Five Health Zones in Mali

Introduction: Sexuality is the set of behaviors relating to the satisfaction of the sexual instinct. It involves the personality as a whole in adolescence. According to the 2018 demographic and health survey in Mali, it appears that 36% of adolescents have started their reproductive life; 8% had their first sexual intercourse at 15 years old. In this work, we studied adolescent sexuality in five health zones in Mali in 2022. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, analytical survey whose survey was conducted between March and April 2022 in five health zones in Mali and targeted single adolescents aged 15 to 19. The sampling was probabilistic. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered in an individual interview. Results: In total, 1287 adolescents were interviewed, 51.7% of whom were boys. The average age was 16.86 years for girls and 17.55 years for boys. They had secondary education in 31% of boys and 28% of girls. The average age of first sexual intercourse was 16 years for both girls and boys. In 10% of respondents had had early sexual intercourse between 10 and 14 years old. 80% of respondents had at least one sexual intercourse in the last 6 months, among which non-use of condoms was 70% among girls and 46% among boys. Conclusion: Sexual practice among unmarried adolescents was common. Precautions against the risks of sexual intercourse were weak. Sex education is necessary in order to provide adolescents with a set of measures aimed at protecting sexual practices.