Abstract
Background
Female adolescent sexual behavior, particularly early sexual debut (ESD), poses significant risks and has garnered attention from researchers and society. While various factors influencing early sexual initiation have been studied, including socioeconomic disparities. This study examines the socioeconomic variation in ESD among female adolescents aged 15 to 19 in Bangladesh.
Methods
This research examines information gathered from three Bangladeshi Demographic and Health Survey data sets from 2011–2017. Researchers employed chi-square tests to identify relationships between categorical variables and logistic regression to pinpoint factors associated with ESD. To assess the socio-economic variation of ESD, the analysis utilized concentration curves, concentration indices, and decomposition techniques.
Results
Our study revealed that female adolescents’ age, adolescents from Rajshahi, Chittagong, Rangpur, Barisal, and Dhaka regions, who shared the toilet with other households, who were overweight, who preferred to marry earlier or later, who did not know about sexually transmitted infections, and who used contraceptives were more prone to experience ESD, with statistically notable findings (p < 0.05). In addition, adolescent females who were not Muslim and who pursued higher education were less likely to experience ESD. Further analysis of socioeconomic disparities using concentration curves showed poorer female adolescents had a higher incidence of ESD (CCI = -0.1001, p < 0.001). Decomposition of this inequality revealed that a female adolescent's education level was the largest contributor (48.81%) to the observed disparities, followed by knowledge of sexually transmitted infection (20.66%), adolescent's current age (17.78%), toilet shared with other households (7.55%), preferring to marry time (6.85%), and in the administrative region where female adolescents live (5.09%).
Conclusions
These findings highlight the complex interplay of socio-demographic factors in shaping adolescent sexual behaviors in Bangladesh. Targeted interventions addressing regional disparities, improving access to education and resources, and promoting reproductive health education will help to prevent ESD among female adolescents in Bangladesh.