Risky sexual behaviour among adolescent girls: Does female genital cutting have a role to play? Evidence from the 2013 Nigeria demographic and health survey

Abstract

Series of empirical investigations have suggested that female adolescents are susceptible to risky sexual behaviour, having considered many risk factors. None of these studies have made effort to examine the influence of female genital cutting (FGC) on adolescent risky sexual behaviour, hence this study. Employing the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey, the study sample consisted of 3,633 adolescents who reported their genital cutting status and sexual behaviour. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive/bivariate and a two-model binary logistic regression. Results disclosed that adolescents with FGC experience had a non-significant 13% higher likelihood of engagement in risky sexual act than those without such experience (p> 0,05). Odds of tricky sexual behaviour rise as age increases. Results further show that adolescents who were Christians, with no formal education, of poor background, who reside in rural areas and were from Northwestern part of the country have higher likelihood to experience risky sexual behaviour than their other respective counterparts.