IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v10y2026i1p189-201.html

Factors Influencing Time to First Sexual Intercourse among Youths: Evidence from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey Data

Author

Listed:
  • Mwangea Stellah

    (Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physical Sciences, Taita Taveta University)

  • Oscar Ngesa

    (Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physical Sciences, Taita Taveta University)

  • Alexander Kasyoki

    (Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physical Sciences, Taita Taveta University)

Abstract

The timing of first sexual intercourse is a critical marker in adolescent development, influencing health, education, and social outcomes. Early sexual debut increases the risk of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and educational disruption. While several studies in sub-Saharan Africa have explored correlates of early sexual initiation, most rely on cross-sectional designs or localized samples and logistic regression to find out covariates of sex debut, few have applied survival analysis to nationally representative data in Kenya to find out factors influencing time to sex debut. The purpose of this study is to estimate the median age at first sexual intercourse and identify socio-demographic, cultural, and behavioral determinants influencing its timing among Kenyan youths, using the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS).

Suggested Citation

  • Mwangea Stellah & Oscar Ngesa & Alexander Kasyoki, 2026. "Factors Influencing Time to First Sexual Intercourse among Youths: Evidence from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey Data," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 10(1), pages 189-201, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:10:y:2026:i:1:p:189-201
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/uploads/vol10-iss1-pg189-201-202601_pdf.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/view/factors-influencing-time-to-first-sexual-intercourse-among-youths-evidence-from-the-2022-kenya-demographic-and-health-survey-data/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Regina Lai Tong Lee & Alice Yuen Loke & Tommy Tsz Man Hung & Howard Sobel, 2018. "A systematic review on identifying risk factors associated with early sexual debut and coerced sex among adolescents and young people in communities," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3-4), pages 478-501, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Grishu Shrestha & Reecha Piya & Sampurna Kakchapati & Parash Mani Sapkota & Deepak Joshi & Sushil Chandra Baral, 2025. "Assessing the drivers of sexual behavior among youth and its social determinants in Nepal," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Berezin, McKenzie N. & Javdani, Shabnam & Godfrey, Erin, 2022. "Predictors of sexual and reproductive health among girls involved in the juvenile legal system: The influence of resources, race, and ethnicity," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    3. Oluwaseyi Dolapo Somefun & Emmanuel Olamijuwon, 2022. "Community structure and timing of sexual activity among adolescent girls in Nigeria," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(7), pages 1-14, July.
    4. Ololade Julius Baruwa, 2024. "Associations between lifetime pregnancy and sexual risk behaviors among 15-24-year-old adolescent girls and young women in South Africa: Secondary analyses of the 2016 Demographic Health Survey," PLOS Global Public Health, Public Library of Science, vol. 4(6), pages 1-12, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:10:y:2026:i:1:p:189-201. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.