TY - JOUR
T1 - Cross-National Trends in Early Sexual Initiation Among 15-Year-Old Adolescents, 2002-2022
AU - Költő, András
AU - Winter, Kristina
AU - Maloney, Rachael
AU - Lunney, Louise
AU - Nicolaou, Christiana
AU - Cosma, Alina
AU - de Looze, Margreet
AU - Kelly, Colette
AU - Martin, Gina
N1 - Copyright © 2025 Költő, Winter, Maloney, Lunney, Nicolaou, Cosma, de Looze, Kelly and Martin.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - OBJECTIVES: We examined how the proportion of adolescents who engaged in early sexual intercourse (before the age of 14) changed between 2002 and 2022 across 37 countries.METHODS: Data of 15-year-old adolescents participating in the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 survey rounds of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study were analysed (N = 312,702). We used uni- and multivariate multilevel binary logistic regression models to test whether rates of early sexual initiation changed over time. Country, gender, family affluence, parental support and the clustering effect of school were incorporated in the statistical models; linearity was tested by cubic and quadratic terms in the multivariate models.RESULTS: A significant but very small decline over time was found in early sexual initiation across survey years. Girls and less affluent adolescents had lower odds of early initiation. Parental support (and its interaction with time) also had a significant but small protective role.CONCLUSION: Despite a small decrease over time, still 4% of participants reported early sexual initiation in 2022. Concerted and sustained efforts are needed to support adolescent sexual health.
AB - OBJECTIVES: We examined how the proportion of adolescents who engaged in early sexual intercourse (before the age of 14) changed between 2002 and 2022 across 37 countries.METHODS: Data of 15-year-old adolescents participating in the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 survey rounds of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study were analysed (N = 312,702). We used uni- and multivariate multilevel binary logistic regression models to test whether rates of early sexual initiation changed over time. Country, gender, family affluence, parental support and the clustering effect of school were incorporated in the statistical models; linearity was tested by cubic and quadratic terms in the multivariate models.RESULTS: A significant but very small decline over time was found in early sexual initiation across survey years. Girls and less affluent adolescents had lower odds of early initiation. Parental support (and its interaction with time) also had a significant but small protective role.CONCLUSION: Despite a small decrease over time, still 4% of participants reported early sexual initiation in 2022. Concerted and sustained efforts are needed to support adolescent sexual health.
KW - Humans
KW - Adolescent
KW - Female
KW - Male
KW - Adolescent Behavior/psychology
KW - Sexual Behavior/statistics & numerical data
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
KW - Coitus
KW - Socioeconomic Factors
U2 - 10.3389/ijph.2025.1607711
DO - 10.3389/ijph.2025.1607711
M3 - Article
C2 - 40134801
SN - 1661-8556
VL - 70
SP - 1607711
JO - International Journal of Public Health
JF - International Journal of Public Health
ER -
