Early sexual debut and associated factors among preparatory and high school students in Bench-Maji Zone, South-West Ethiopia; A cross-sectional study

Background: Early initiation of sexual intercourse has been associated with risky sexual behaviors like unprotected sex, sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancy. Considering and comprehending the factors that are associated with early sexual debut is a center for designing meaningful strategies to tackle its adverse consequences. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with early sexual debut among high school youths in the Bench-Maji zone, South-West Ethiopia. Methods: Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample of 822 high school students in the Bench-Maji zone from15th -30th September 2018. Pretested, self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 24. Descriptive statistics were computed. Binary and multiple logistic regression analyses were done. Association was assessed using AOR and its 95%CI. Variable with P-Value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: The prevalence of early sexual debut was 22.1% [95% CI:(19.5,24.9)]. Having knowledge on consequences of unsafe sex[AOR=0.452, 95% CI:(0.306,0.667)], peer encouragement to have sex [AOR=1.487, 95% CI:(1.021, 2.165)], exposure to pornography [AOR=5.979, 95% CI: (4.036, 8.859)] and substance use[AOR=2.225,95% CI:(1.515, 3.270)] were found to be significantly associated with early sexual debut. Conclusion: The prevalence of early sexual debut was found to be high. Intervention should target the provision of education on sexual and reproductive health issues and the risks of sexually explicit media.