Early sexual debut among unmarried adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania: analysis of the 2022 Demographic Health Survey on the role of coercion at first sex.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

In Tanzania, the problem of early sexual initiation among adolescent girls and adolescent girls and young women has remained a persistent public health and human rights challenge that continues to draw the attention of policymakers. Evidence suggests that in some parts of the country, as much as 70% of women had their sexual debut as minors, underscoring the urgency to understand all drivers of early sexual debut among this population. While scholars have pointed to addressing a range of factors that work to expose adolescent girls and young women to early sexual initiation, the role of coercion at first sex has been less explored.

Design and setting

We used cross-sectional data from the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey.

Participants

A total sampl

SUBMITTER: Antabe R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12519701 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature