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Kari C. Kugler, MPH¹, Melissa H. Stigler, PhD¹, Kelli A. Komro, PhD², Melikiory Masatu, PhD³, K. S. Mnyika, PhD³, and K.-I. Klepp, PhD⁴. (1) Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, 612-624-4099, kugler@epi.umn.edu, (2) Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research and Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida, 1329 SW 16th Street, Room 5130, PO Box 100177, Gainesville, FL 32610, (3) College of Health Sciences, Muhimbili University, 1234 University Avenue, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, (4) Institute for Nutrition Research, University of Oslo, 1234 University Avenue, Oslo, Norway

Background: There has been a long-standing interest in the sexual behaviors of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa primarily because of the potential risks associated with the behaviors, namely HIV, STDs and pregnancy. Understanding these behaviors and related factors is extremely important in halting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in this region, however, the narrow focus of sexual behavior as solely sexual intercourse, has limited our view and understanding of adolescent sexual development, and perhaps limited our ability to design effective interventions targeting adolescent sexual behavior.

Methods: A sample of 6th and 7th grade students in a northeastern region of Tanzania surveyed in the summer of 2001 (n=524) as a part of a larger study will be used. Latent class analysis with covariates will be used to assess the probability of stage membership (e.g., no sexual development, experimenters, experienced), conditional on levels of theoretically derived factors hypothesized to be associated with sexual development (reported as an odds ratio), such as intrapersonal (e.g. communication skills and ability to resist pressure to have sex), social (e.g. overall parental connection and perceived subjective norms related to sexual activity) and attitudinal (e.g. HIV knowledge and outcome expectations related to sexual activity) influences.

Results: Trends in probability across levels of these factors, within each stage of sexual development, will also be compared using an odds ratio. Multi-group comparisons of these models across gender will also be assessed.

Conclusions: The implications of these analyses with regard to designing appropriate HIV-prevention programs for young people in Tanzania will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the importance of understanding adolescent sexual development in the context of HIV/AIDS prevention.
• Describe the stages of sexual development and factors most strongly associated with each stage.
• Discuss the design of appropriate interventions to meet the needs of adolescents in different stages of sexual development.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Adolescents, International

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered