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Health Education Research Advance Access originally published online on August 18, 2008
Health Education Research 2009 24(3):450-460; doi:10.1093/her/cyn041
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Gender factors associated with sexual abstinent behaviour of rural South African high school going youth in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Siyabonga Dlamini1,*, Myra Taylor1, Nosipho Mkhize1, Rosemarie Huver2, Reshma Sathiparsad3, Hein de Vries4, Kala Naidoo1 and Champak Jinabhai1

1 Department of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal
2 TNS NIPO, Amsterdam
3 Department of Social Work, University of KwaZulu-Natal
4 Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, Maastricht University

* Correspondence to: S. Dlamini. E-mail: dlaminis24{at}ukzn.ac.za

The cross-sectional study investigated South African rural high school learners' choice of sexual abstinence in order to be able to develop tailored health education messages. All Grade 9 learners from one class at each of 10 randomly selected rural high schools participated. The Integrated Model for Motivational and Behavioural Change was used to elicit attitudes, social influences, self-efficacy and intentions towards sexual abstinence. Chi-square and t-tests were used for bivariate analysis. In total, 454 learners, mean age 16.7 years (standard deviation 1.41) range 14–20 years, participated, of whom 246 (54.2%) were female. When comparing learners reporting abstinence (n = 252) with those not abstinent (n = 202), abstinent learners were significantly more often females (P < 0.005), younger (16.5 years versus 17.1 years, P < 0.005) and drank less alcohol (P < 0.005). Abstaining girls believed that their friends and parents think that they should abstain from sex, that their friends abstained from sex and that abstinence helped them to mature emotionally. Abstinent boys expressed intentions to abstain from sex until marriage. Targeted intervention research is required to encourage South African rural high school learners to delay their sexual initiation to reduce their risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Different abstinent messages are needed for boys and girls to address the different patterns of behaviour observed.

Received on November 13, 2007; accepted on July 11, 2008


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