Adequacy of Parental Provisions and Safe Sex Practices Among Young People in Lagos Metropolis

Abstract

Available data on youth sexuality suggest that many young people are sexually active and a significant proportion of them are involved in risky sexual activities such as unprotected sex and multiple sexual partnerships. Some studies suggest that poverty is a determinant of involvement in risky sexual activities while other studies maintain that there is no association between poverty and involvement in risky sexual activities. Studies have hardly questioned the relationship between adequacy of financial provisions for young people and youth involvement in risky sexual activities. This study sought to examine whether young people with financial provisions not adequate to meet their needs, irrespective of the amount of their allowances in absolute terms, are more likely to be involved in risky sexual activities than those who report adequacy of financial provisions. Using data from a survey of 1,159 adolescents from the city of Lagos, the study concludes, having controlled the effect of age and other potential confounders, that inadequacy of financial provisions is a predictor of involvement with multiple sexual partners, but not a predictor of condom use among young people.