Premarital Sexual Behaviours of College Youth of Tanahun District, Nepal

Introduction: youth are at risk of numerous health problems as they progress towards adulthood, which affect their quality of life. While sexuality remains a morality on one side, an increasing prevalence of premarital sexual activities is being reported among Nepalese youth on omit other side. This study aimed to assess the premarital sexual behaviors of college-going youth in the Tanahun district. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out using a pre-tested structured self-administered questionnaire among 721 youth of six undergraduate colleges of Tanahun district. The association between premarital sexual behaviours and the explanatory variables was assessed using the chi-square test and stepwise logistic regression. Results: More than one-tenth (13.17%) of total youth reported that they had had premarital sex preceding the survey. The study also showed that substantial proportion of college youth had indulged in risky sexual behaviours. Nearly threefourths (73.21%) of sexually active youth had their sexual debut before the age of 20 and about half (46.15%) of them did not use a condom. Similarly, more than one-third (34.62%) of sexually active respondents had multiple sex partners. Males were almost three times as likely (AOR=2.64, 95% CI; 1.26-5.51) to be involved in premarital sex compared to their counterparts. Similarly, youth having dating experience were six-fold more likely (AOR=6.4, 95% CI; 3.37-12.30) and youth who had an unmarried close friend with sexual experiences were four times more likely (AOR=3.9, 95% CI; 2.1-7.24) to indulge in premarital sex compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: One in each 10 college youth involved in premarital sex though risky sexual behaviours were prominent. Being male, having dating experience and unmarried close friend with sexual experience were the risk factors for premarital sex. These factors have to be warranted in sex education interventions.