Introduction: Over time, new sexual practices other than the common ones are frequently described. This work aimed to determine the sexual orientation and its associated factors among adolescents attending school in t...Introduction: Over time, new sexual practices other than the common ones are frequently described. This work aimed to determine the sexual orientation and its associated factors among adolescents attending school in two big cities in Cameroon. Methodology: A cross-sectional study with prospective data collection took place from November 2021 to April 2022 in eight secondary schools (four in Yaoundé and four in Douala). We conducted non-probability, consecutive sampling on school-going, sexually active adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19 years. A self-administered questionnaire to students was used to study their sexual orientations and practices. Univariate and multivariate analyses made it possible to find the associated factors using the chi-square test. Results: We included 1274 adolescents with an average age of 18 years;majority were boys (54.8%) for a sex ratio of 1.21. Most (49.7%) were from two-parent families. Cisgender was the most common self-gender identity (89.6%). The main sexual orientation was heterosexuality (82.3%), followed by bisexuality (9.7%) and homosexuality (8%). The average age at first sexual intercourse (coitarche) was 15 years and the coitarche was consenting in 84.1%. Sexual practices included: kissing (94.7%), fondling (93.4%), vaginal penetration (80.6%), oral sex (40.4%), masturbation (22.8%), fisting (18.4%), and anal penetrations (17.5%). The majority of sexual intercourse acts (55.8%) took place without protection;24.6% of adolescents practiced them with a person of the same sex and 18.4% with several others simultaneously. The factors associated with heterosexuality were age ≤17 years (aOR: 2.44 [1.36 - 4.40];p = 0.003), self-identification opposite to primary sexual characteristics (aOR: 12.05 [5.13 - 28.29];p 0.001), absence of consent during the first coitus (aOR: 7.09 [3.61 - 13.93];p 0.001) and a history of sexual intercourse with a person of the same sex (aOR: 94.17 [43.36 - 183.39];p 0.001). Conclusion: Although most adolescents are heterosexual in the school environment, the authors raise the importance of providing guidance in the aspect of sexual orientation particularly on the psychological and behavioral level considering age, self-gender identity, sexual consent, and using protection during the sexual experience.展开更多
文摘Introduction: Over time, new sexual practices other than the common ones are frequently described. This work aimed to determine the sexual orientation and its associated factors among adolescents attending school in two big cities in Cameroon. Methodology: A cross-sectional study with prospective data collection took place from November 2021 to April 2022 in eight secondary schools (four in Yaoundé and four in Douala). We conducted non-probability, consecutive sampling on school-going, sexually active adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19 years. A self-administered questionnaire to students was used to study their sexual orientations and practices. Univariate and multivariate analyses made it possible to find the associated factors using the chi-square test. Results: We included 1274 adolescents with an average age of 18 years;majority were boys (54.8%) for a sex ratio of 1.21. Most (49.7%) were from two-parent families. Cisgender was the most common self-gender identity (89.6%). The main sexual orientation was heterosexuality (82.3%), followed by bisexuality (9.7%) and homosexuality (8%). The average age at first sexual intercourse (coitarche) was 15 years and the coitarche was consenting in 84.1%. Sexual practices included: kissing (94.7%), fondling (93.4%), vaginal penetration (80.6%), oral sex (40.4%), masturbation (22.8%), fisting (18.4%), and anal penetrations (17.5%). The majority of sexual intercourse acts (55.8%) took place without protection;24.6% of adolescents practiced them with a person of the same sex and 18.4% with several others simultaneously. The factors associated with heterosexuality were age ≤17 years (aOR: 2.44 [1.36 - 4.40];p = 0.003), self-identification opposite to primary sexual characteristics (aOR: 12.05 [5.13 - 28.29];p 0.001), absence of consent during the first coitus (aOR: 7.09 [3.61 - 13.93];p 0.001) and a history of sexual intercourse with a person of the same sex (aOR: 94.17 [43.36 - 183.39];p 0.001). Conclusion: Although most adolescents are heterosexual in the school environment, the authors raise the importance of providing guidance in the aspect of sexual orientation particularly on the psychological and behavioral level considering age, self-gender identity, sexual consent, and using protection during the sexual experience.
