TITLE:
Review of Problems of Adolescent Sexual Behavior and the Role of Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 and 6 in Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Prosper Adogu, Ifeoma Udigwe, Gerald Udigwe, Chika Ubajaka
KEYWORDS:
Adolescent, Sexual Behavior, Millennium Development Goals 4, 5, 6, Nigeria
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Vol.5 No.15,
August
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: Introduction: The
problems of adolescents’ sexual behavior are grave and far-reaching. Methods:
Review of exiting literature via Google scholar, AJOL, Pubmed, HINARI and other
relevant data bases on the common problems of adolescents’ inappropriate sexual
behavior. Result: Adolescent sexual behavior could result in adolescent
pregnancy which prevalence varies widely throughout Nigeria perhaps due to
differences in culture and development. Abortion, the willful termination of
pregnancy is another problem which is often undertaken for pregnancies
resulting from incest and sexual abuse. Also common is trans-generational sex
which occurs when an adolescent has non-marital sex in the last 12 months with
a man who is at least 10 years older than her. Also related to this, is
transactional sex found in both committed and casual relationships. It is not
always done for survival because in some cultures, sex for favor is carried out
for reasons other than subsistence. Furthermore, multiple sexual partners are
the engagement in sex with more than one partner over a particular time frame.
It may be sequential or concurrent. The high prevalence of these problems in
Nigeria raises a question of the possibility of achieving the millennium development
goals (MDGs) 4, 5 and 6 specifically targeted at reducing child mortality,
improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
respectively. Conclusion: Policies and strategies such as family life and
HIV/AIDs education (FLHE) curriculum on adolescent reproductive health should
be pursued with greater vigor in our secondary schools in addition to
establishing HIV counseling centers and vocational training programs for
out-of-school adolescents. WHO support and commitment to key action areas for
countries and member states will build and strengthen their capacity to improve
reproductive and sexual health.