PriMera Scientific Surgical Research and Practice (ISSN: 2836-0028)

Research Article

Volume 8 Issue 5

Determinants of Non-Protection during First Sex among Secondary School Students in Cameroon’s Capital City, Yaoundé

Teke Johnson Takwa*

November 03, 2026

DOI : 10.56831/PSSRP-08-345

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Abstract

The practice of unprotected sex is a very serious issue as it can result to sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. The non-protection during first sexual intercourse can result to habitual practice of subsequent unprotected sex. This study seeks to find out the key determinants of non-protection during first sex among secondary school students aged 14-19 in Cameroon’s capital city Yaoundé as way of providing information that can be useful for the promotion of safe sex. Information for this study was collected through a self-administered questionnaire administered to 2405 students in public, lay private and confessional schools. This study revealed that 49% of these students had started sexual activity. At first sex, 35% of students used no measure of protection against STDs or unwanted pregnancies. A binary logistic regression shows that the main determinants of non-protection during first sex are the age at first sex, circumstance of the first sex and the student’s mother’s educational level. Students who started sex at 10, 11 and 12 are close to six (6) times more likely than whose started sex after 16 to undergo it unprotected. Students whose first sex was non-voluntary are 4.4 times more likely to go into it unprotected than students whose first sex was voluntary. Students whose mothers have tertiary education are 40% less likely to go into first sex unprotected than students with mothers with lower educational levels. There is need for comprehensive sex education for children to start before the reach 10, to promote female education and equip parents especially mothers with skills to teach their children how to abstain from sex or practice safe sex and to prevent forced sex.

Keywords: first sex; unsafe sex; STDS; unwanted pregnancies

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