Sexual Behaviour of Congolese Teenagers

Introduction: Sexual risk behaviour among adolescents is a public health problem worldwide. Widely studied in the Western countries, this problem has only been addressed partially in Brazzaville. Thus, 12 years later, we conducted this study with the aim of analysing the sexual behaviour of adolescents in Congo. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and analytical study from January to August 2019 (8 months). It involved 2000 adolescents residing in the departments of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire constituting the urban population, and those of Cuvette and Bouenza, the rural population. Results: A total of 1167 adolescents reported being sexually active. The mean age at first sexual intercourse differed between the two sexes (p < 0.0005). Of the adolescents surveyed 96.1% (n = 1122) claimed to have ever heard of HIV/AIDS infection and 8.7% (n = 101) to have ever contracted sexually transmitted infections. The main channel of information was school in 57.7%. Condoms were the only means of protection (85.5%). The factors associated with risky sexual behaviour were, on the one hand, those related to the adolescent (lack of schooling, orphan status, alcohol and tobacco consumption, paid employment and possession of a mobile phone). On the other hand, those related to parents (low level of education, mother’s employment status and single-parent household structure). The frequency of sexually active adolescents was similar in both settings (p < 0.05). The rates of adolescents having ever heard of HIV/AIDS were almost similar with a slight predominance in urban areas (p < 0.09). Early sexual intercourse (72.6%) and/or multiple partners (24.9%) were more frequent in rural areas (p > 0.05). Homosexuality was found in 4.6% in urban areas and 3.8% in rural areas (p > 0.05). Extra-vaginal sex accounted for 16.4% in urban areas and 7.9% in rural areas (p = 0.001). Non-consensual sex was more common in urban areas (17.4%) than in rural areas (5.8%) (p = 0.001). Incestuous sex was reported in 6.2% of cases (urban) and 4.2% (rural) (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Sexual risk behaviour is real among adolescents in the Congo. The advanced modernization marked by the abundance of mass media in urban areas favours the predominance of these behaviours in the city. The consequences are serious and can compromise the future of adolescents;hence the importance of prevention.