Characteristics of the respondents
A total of 6,143 female youth were included in the analysis. Among this, 3,383 (52.8%) were found in the age group of 19-24 years, 1,889 (29.5%) study participants were completed secondary and higher education. Three thousand eight hundred forty-five (60.1%) of female youth had no exposure to television. About 4,676 (76.1%) of youth have resided in rural area (Table 1).
Table 1: Individual and community-level characteristics of female youth in Ethiopia, EDHS 2016 (n=6143).
Variable
|
Number
|
Percent
|
Age in years
|
|
|
15-18
|
3,018
|
47.2
|
19-24
|
3,383
|
52.8
|
Religion
|
|
|
Orthodox
|
2,613
|
40.8
|
Muslim
|
2,569
|
40.1
|
Others*
|
1,219
|
19.1
|
Educational status
|
|
|
No education
|
1,408
|
22.0
|
Primary
|
3,104
|
48.5
|
Secondary
|
1,361
|
21.3
|
Higher
|
528
|
8.2
|
House hold Wealth index
|
|
|
Poorest
|
1,571
|
24.6
|
Poorer
|
1,051
|
16.4
|
Middle
|
1,183
|
18.5
|
Richer
|
1,141
|
17.8
|
Richest
|
1,455
|
22.7
|
Frequency of watching television
|
|
|
Not at all
|
3,845
|
60.1
|
Less than once a week
|
805
|
12.6
|
At least once a week
|
1,751
|
27.3
|
Frequency of listening to radio
|
|
|
Not at all
|
4,017
|
62.8
|
Less than once a week
|
1,176
|
18.3
|
At least once a week
|
1,208
|
18.9
|
Ever heard about STI
|
|
|
No
|
457
|
7.1
|
Yes
|
5,944
|
92.9
|
Ever chewing chat
|
|
|
No
|
6,024
|
94.1
|
Yes
|
377
|
5.9
|
Ever drinking alcohol
|
|
|
No
|
4,496
|
70.2
|
Yes
|
1,905
|
29.8
|
Residence
|
|
|
Urban
|
1,467
|
23.9
|
Rural
|
4,676
|
76.1
|
Region
|
|
|
Tigray
|
498
|
8.1
|
Afar
|
56
|
0.9
|
Amhara
|
1,382
|
22.5
|
Oromia
|
2,229
|
36.3
|
Somali
|
186
|
3.0
|
Benishangul
|
67
|
1.1
|
SNNP
|
1,251
|
20.4
|
Gambela
|
18
|
0.3
|
Harari
|
16
|
0.3
|
Addis Ababa
|
403
|
6.5
|
Dire Dawa
|
37
|
0.6
|
Community level of wealth
|
|
|
Low
|
3,159
|
51.4
|
High
|
2,984
|
48.6
|
Community level of education
|
|
|
Low
|
2,827
|
46.0
|
High
|
3,316
|
54.0
|
Community level of television exposure
|
|
|
Low
|
2,801
|
45.6
|
High
|
3,342
|
54.4
|
Community level of radio exposure
|
|
|
No
|
3,350
|
54.5
|
Yes
|
2,793
|
45.5
|
*protestant, catholic, traditional followers
Individual and community-level factors associated with early sexual initiation
In the final model age, educational status, ever chewing Chat, region and community-level wealth had a statistical association with early sexual initiation. The odds of early sexual initiation was 6 times more among participants aged between 19-24 years as compared to their counterparts [ AOR=5.8, 95% CI= (4.6, 7.3)]. Female youth who were no attending school were 14 times more likely initiate sex at or before age 18 than attending higher education [AOR=14.1, 95% CI= (8.1, 24.7)]. Female youth who ever chew Chat were 2 times more likely to initiate sex early as compared to not [AOR= 2.0, 95%CI= (1.3, 3.0)]. Female youth who were living in Addis Ababa were 70% less likely to initiate sex early as compared to youth living in Tigray region [AOR= 0.3, 95%CI= (0.2, 0.5)]. Likewise, female youth who were living in Gambella region were 3 times more likely to initiate sex early as compared to youth who living in Tigray region [AOR=2.7,95%CI= (1.7, 4.3)]. Female youth who live in low proportion of poor communities were 30% less likely to initiate sex early as compared to female youth who live in a high proportion of poor community [AOR= 0.7, 95% CI= (0.5, 0.9)] (Table 2).
Table 2: multilevel logistic regression model for factors associated with early sexual initiation among female youth in Ethiopia, EDHS 2016 (n=6143).
Variable
|
COR (95% CI)
|
Model-0 ICC=22.6%
|
Model-I AOR (95% CI)
|
Model-II AOR (95% CI)
|
Model-III (AOR) (95% CI)
|
Age in years
|
|
|
|
|
|
15-18
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
19-24
|
5.1(4.1, 6.4)
|
|
5.6(4.5, 7.0)
|
|
5.8 (4.6, 7.3)
|
Religion
|
|
|
|
|
|
Orthodox
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Muslim
|
1.6 ( 1.2, 2.0)
|
|
1.3 (0.9, 1.8)
|
|
1.35 (0.9, 1.9)
|
Others
|
0.8(0.5, 1.1)
|
|
0.8 (0.6, 1.1)
|
|
1.1(0.8, 1.5)
|
Educational status
|
No education
|
9.4(5.8, 15.3)
|
|
14.7 (8.5, 25.4)
|
|
14.1 (8.1, 24.7)
|
Primary
|
2.7(1.7, 4.3)
|
|
5.9(3.5, 9.9)
|
|
5.9 (3.5, 10.0)
|
Secondary
|
1.3 (0.8, 2.2)
|
|
2.3 (1.4, 3.9)
|
|
2.3 (1.4, 3.9)
|
Higher
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Household wealth index
|
Poorest
|
2.4 (1.6, 3.4)
|
|
1.1 (0.6, 1.8)
|
|
0.8 (0.5, 1.5)
|
Poorer
|
2.5 (1.8, 3.5)
|
|
1.1 (0.7, 1.8)
|
|
0.9 (0.6, 1.5)
|
Middle
|
2.5 (1.9, 3.5)
|
|
1.2 (0.7, 1.9)
|
|
1.1 (0.7, 1.7)
|
Richer
|
1.3(0.9, 1.8)
|
|
0.8 (0.5, 1.2)
|
|
0.71 (.46, 1.1)
|
Richest
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Watching television
|
Not at all
|
1.8 (1.3, 2.4)
|
|
0.9 (0.6, 1.4)
|
|
0.9 (0.6, 1.4)
|
Less than once a week
|
1.3 (0.9, 1.8)
|
|
1.1 (0.7, 1.5)
|
|
0.95 (0.7, 1.4)
|
At least once a week
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Listening radio
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not at all
|
1.1 (0.9, 1.5)
|
|
0.9 (0.6, 1.2)
|
|
0.9 (0.6, 1.2)
|
Less than once a week
|
0.8 (0.6, 1.0)
|
|
|
|
0.8 (0.5, 1.1)
|
At least once a week
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Ever heard about STI
|
No
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Yes
|
1.1 (0.7, 1.6)
|
|
1.4 (0.9, 2.3)
|
|
1.4 (0.9, 2.2)
|
Ever chewing chat
|
No
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Yes
|
2.5 (1.7, 3.6)
|
|
2.0 (1.4, 3.0)
|
|
2.0 (1.3, 3.0)
|
Ever drinking alcohol
|
No
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Yes
|
1.2 ( 1.0, 1.5)
|
|
1.4 (1.1, 1.8)
|
|
1.3 (0.9, 1.7)
|
Residence
|
|
|
|
|
|
Urban
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Rural
|
2.8 (2.19, 3.47)
|
|
|
0.9 (0.6, 1.4)
|
1.1(0.7, 1.9)
|
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tigray
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Afar
|
2.4(1.6, 3.7)
|
|
|
1.0 (0.7, 1.5)
|
0.9 (.5, 1.5)
|
Amhara
|
1.2 (0.8, 1.8)
|
|
|
1.1 (0.8, 1.6)
|
1.1(0.7, 1.6)
|
Oromia
|
0.9 (0.6, 1.4)
|
|
|
0.7 (0.5, 1.1)
|
0.6 (0.4, 0.9)
|
Somali
|
1.2 (0.8, 1.8)
|
|
|
0.5 (0.3, 0.8)
|
0.5 (0.3,0.8)
|
Benishangul
|
1.2 (0.8, 1.8)
|
|
|
1.1 (0.7, 1.7)
|
1.1 (0.7, 1.8)
|
SNNP
|
0.5( 0.4, 0.8)
|
|
|
0.4 (0.3, 0.6)
|
0.4 (0.3, 0.7)
|
Gambela
|
1.9 ( 1.2, 2.9)
|
|
|
2.1 (1.4, 3.1)
|
2.7 (1.7, 4.3)
|
Harari
|
1.1 (0.7, 1.7)
|
|
|
1.1 (0.7, 1.7)
|
0.8 (0.5, 1.4)
|
Addis Ababa
|
0.3 (0.2, 0.4)
|
|
|
0.4 (0.3, 0.6)
|
0.3 (0.2, 0.5)
|
Dire Dawa
|
0.6 ( 0.4, 1.0)
|
|
|
0.7 (0.4, 1.0)
|
0.5 (0.3, 0.9)
|
Community-level wealth
|
Low
|
0.5 (0.3, 0.5)
|
|
|
0.6(0.4, 0.8)
|
0.7 (0.5, 0.9)
|
High
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Community-level education
|
Low
|
0.4 (0.3, 0.5)
|
|
|
0.6 (0.5, 0.8)
|
0.8 (0.6, 1.1)
|
High
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Community-level television exposure
|
Low
|
0.5 (0.4, 0.6)
|
|
|
0.9 (0.7, 1.2)
|
1.0 (0.8, 1.4)
|
High
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Community-level radio exposure
|
Low
|
0.5 (0.4, 0.6)
|
|
|
0.9 (0.8, 1.3)
|
1.1(0.8, 1.5)
|
High
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
1=Reference
Random Effects (Measures of Variation)
Early sexual initiation among female youth varies significantly across each cluster. ICC indicated that 22.6 % of the variation in early sexual initiation among female youth was attributed to community-level factors. PCV in the final model shows 42.7% of the variation in early sexual initiation across communities was explained. Likewise, MOR for early sexual initiation among female youth, in the null model was 5.0 which shows the presence of variation across each cluster and it showed a relative reduction in the final model (3.8) (Table 3)
Table 3: Measure of variation for early sexual initiation among female youth in Ethiopia, EDHS 2016.
Measure of variation
|
Model-0
|
Model-I
|
Model -II
|
Model-III
|
Variance
|
0.9
|
0.7
|
0.6
|
0.5
|
ICC (%)
|
22.6
|
16.9
|
14.8
|
14.3
|
PCV (%)
|
Reference
|
30.2
|
40.6
|
42.7
|
MOR
|
5.0
|
4.1
|
3.9
|
3.8
|
Model fitness
|
|
|
|
|
Log-likelihood
|
-3727.4
|
-3152.7
|
-3647.3
|
-3115.0
|
ICC=Intra-class Correlation Coefficient, PCV=Proportional Change in Variance and MOR=Median Odds Ratio