This study was attempted to determine the prevalence and associated factors of premarital sexual practice among Secondary school regular students of northern Ethiopia just to add some valuable current data related to the topic. The prevalence of premarital sexual practice was reported as 23.6%, when compared with related studies result, it was lower than from studies finding in Ambo, 25.7%(9), Eastern Ethiopia, 686(24.8%) (3), Addis Ababa, 126(60.9%)(1), Bale goba, 129 (42.7%)(7), west shoe, as high as 80%(14) Nigeria, (52.0%)(10), Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City, Nepal, (24.6%)(15) and Kathmandu, Nepal, (39%)(6) and Tanzania(32%) (16), it was also comparable with study in Jimma, 21%(2) and higher than from the study finding in Gojam, 157 (19%) (8). The difference might be due to study area, study period and sample size difference used to quantify pre-marital sexual practice. This significant prevalence of pre-marital sexual practice indicates us, even if in Ethiopia this practice is not accepted, the new generation is being violating the norms and values of the society which acknowledges to work in collaboration with the religious, community leaders, family and health policy makers, to make clear the negative sides of the practice in the future life of the school aged adolescents and to follow their norms and values.
Among the participants who had ever sex, 98.2% engaged in sex before the age of 18. It was higher than from the finding in the study in Kathmandu, Nepal, (66%)(6) Eastern Ethiopia,54.3% (3), Gojam, 75%(8) and in bale goba, 89(69.5%)(7), but the value in bale goba was the report to those who had sex ever between the age group of 15-19 years old. The possible reason might be the difference in study area, study period, participant’s characteristics and decreased age at menarche and increasing the tradition of later age at marriage.
Urban residing decreases the odds of engagement in premarital sexual practice by 44%, this means being rural residing participants more likely engaged in premarital sexual practice than their counterpart. This is comparable with study in , Gojam (8), Nekemte(17), Tanzania(16) and in contrast with study finding in Eastern Ethiopia(3) . The possible justification might be due to a difference in living arrangement, which means students coming from rural areas often live with their relatives or rental house instead of their biological parents, and this can cause lack familial control, they might also have lack of adequate knowledge about sexual and reproductive health risks and consequences, so they can engaged in pre-marital sexual practice.
Exposure to pornography six times more likely increases engagement in premarital sexual practice. This is comparable with study done in ambo(9), Gojam(8), west shoe(14) and Dessie(18) and Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City, Nepal(15).The most likely explanation is exposure to sexually explicit stimuli(pornographies) can increase relative acceptance of range of non-monogamous sexual behaviors, such as premarital sex, extramarital sex, extra-cohabitation sex, and sexual non-exclusivity and it also increases relative acceptance of both male and female promiscuity and sex without emotional involvement(19).
Those who discuss on reproductive health issues with family members’ three times more likely reports engagement in premarital sexual practice. This is comparable with the study in bale goba(7), Eastern Ethiopia(3) and Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City, Nepal(15), this might be since early exposure to sex education and discussion with family members is reporting to encourage early sexual debut before marriage(20) and in contrast to the study in ambo(9) and west shoe(14). The most likely explanation is majority of student preferred to discuss about sexual issues with their peers of the same sex than with their family members, and so even if they discussed with their family they may not give attention for the discussion or the discussion topics are limited and not to the satisfaction level of the students, as a result they may develop immature awareness, which contributes to practice pre-marital sex initiation(2). The difference between the studies finding might be due to different in study area and different study participants’ characteristics.
Those students who got 1-150 Birr per month, 42% decreases engagement in premarital sexual practice and those students who got 151-250 Birr per month 36.7% decreases engagement in premarital sexual practice, this means those who got 1-150 Birr per month as a pocket money, Those students who got >250 more likely reports premarital sexual practice than those who got below 250 birr, and as we compare males and females premarital sexual practice in related to the monthly pocket money they got, male students who got higher (>500 Birr) pocket money reported more premarital sex (68.3%) than female students who got higher monthly pocket money (31.7%). This is comparable with the study in Eastern Ethiopia(3) and west shoe(14). This might be due to the reason that when adolescents get money they may have opportunity to practice what they desire and the adolescents age interval demands high sexual desire so money helps them to fulfill their desire like it may be to be sexually attractive as they observed from their peer or different websites.
Those students who had peer pressure 4.5 times more likely reports engaged in premarital sexual practice than those had no peer pressure. This is comparable with study in Eastern Ethiopia(3), Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City, Nepal(15) and jimma(2). As the study in Benishangul Gumuz Region a high proportion of both male (78%) and female (72%) students preferred to discuss sexual and reproductive health issues with peers compared to less than 27% who prefer to discuss with parents, which indicates the level of influence by peer pressure positively or negatively for their sexual activities(21).