CONTEXT Despite restrictive social norms, there is increasing evidence that youth in India engage in premarital romantic and sexual partnerships. However, information on how they initiate and build these relationships is scarce, even though it is vital for addressing the needs of young people. METHODS Attitudes toward and behavior within romantic partnerships were examined using data collecte...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of an abstinence-only intervention in preventing sexual involvement in young adolescents. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Urban public schools. PARTICIPANTS A total of 662 African American students in grades 6 and 7. INTERVENTIONS An 8-hour abstinence-only intervention targeted reduced sexual intercourse; an 8-hour safer sex-only interventi...

Abstinence from sexual intercourse represents a healthy hoice for teenagers, as teenagers face considerable risk to heir reproductive health from unintended pregnancy and exually transmitted infections (STIs) including infection ith the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Remaining bstinent, at least through high school, is strongly supported y parents and even by adolescents themselves. Howeve...

INTRODUCTION Urinary incontinence (UI) has been associated with negative effects on women's sexuality. Women's sexuality and sexual function are a complex issue, and the role of UI is not completely clear. AIM To assess the impact of UI on female sexual function by comparing this population with a control group of continent women. METHODS We performed a case-control study from August 2012 t...

This paper presents the differences in family interaction and parenting behaviours and their influence on sexual intention among male and female youths aged 18 to 22 years. The results presented are based on data collected from unmarried college students in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Despite being in a country where premarital sexual activity is not an accepted behaviour, 18% of the 422 male and 1...

CONTEXT Although premarital heterosexual relationships, especially those involving sexual contact, are discouraged in Iran, particularly for females, a considerable minority of young people are involved in such relationships. However, the determinants of such relationships have not been identified, especially those pertaining to family. METHODS In 2005-2006, a random sample of 1,378 unmarried...

Shelley Clark, Alissa Koski, Emily Smith-Greenaway Age at first marriage has been rising throughout sub-Saharan Africa for more than twenty-five years. The median age at first marriage has increased by an average of 1-2 years across the region but substantial variation in age at first marriage remains (Garenne 2004). In some western and eastern African countries including Burkina Faso, Guinea, ...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to assess attitudes toward premarital dating and sexual encounters in individuals aged 15-49 years in Tehran. METHODS Utilizing the attitudes section of an original cross-sectional study (n = 755) aimed at assessing sexual health needs of adults, this paper examined personal attitudes towards premarital dating, non-sexual relationships and sexual encoun...

OBJECTIVE The US government spends more than $200 million annually on abstinence-promotion programs, including virginity pledges. This study compares the sexual activity of adolescent virginity pledgers with matched nonpledgers by using more robust methods than past research. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The subjects for this study were National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health respondents, a ...