Sexual and reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and practices among early adolescents and young adults in Uganda: Findings from a Link Up exploratory study

M AY 2 01 6 In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescents and young adults (ages 10–24) are faced with high levels of unintended pregnancy and a disproportionately high HIV burden—particularly among adolescent girls and young women. In Uganda, youth comprise nearly 40 percent of people living with HIV, and prevalence among young women is nearly twice that of young men (7 percent vs. 4 percent).1 Ugandan adolescents initiate sexual activity at an early age, with 60 percent of women and 47 percent of men having their first sexual experience before the age of 18, and 13 percent of women and 12 percent of men having sex before age 15. Furthermore, roughly one-third of young Ugandan women have an unmet need for family planning.1