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Inconsistencies in Self-Reporting of Sexual Activity Among Young People in Nairobi, Kenya

PURPOSE: Accurate and reliable data on the prevalence of adolescents' sexual behavior are paramount for effective sexual and reproductive health intervention. Adolescents' sexual behavior has been widely studied. However, scholars have raised concerns about the accuracy and reliability of...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Beguy, Donatien, Kabiru, Caroline W., Nderu, Evangeline N., Ngware, Moses W.
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Elsevier 2009
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2784947/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19931832
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.03.014
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author Beguy, Donatien
Kabiru, Caroline W.
Nderu, Evangeline N.
Ngware, Moses W.
author_facet Beguy, Donatien
Kabiru, Caroline W.
Nderu, Evangeline N.
Ngware, Moses W.
author_sort Beguy, Donatien
collection PubMed
description PURPOSE: Accurate and reliable data on the prevalence of adolescents' sexual behavior are paramount for effective sexual and reproductive health intervention. Adolescents' sexual behavior has been widely studied. However, scholars have raised concerns about the accuracy and reliability of self-reported sexual behavior by adolescents. Previous research shows high levels of adolescent sexual activity in urban informal settlements; yet, the accuracy of self-reported sexual experience in these settings is understudied. METHODS: The objective of this article is to assess consistency of self-reported sexual activity among 2324 adolescents living in slum and nonslum settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. We examine two forms of inconsistencies, namely, what we term “reborn virgins” and inconsistent timing of sexual debut, during two rounds of survey. Factors influencing inconsistent reporting are explored through logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 469 (20%) adolescents gave inconsistent information on whether they have ever had sex (n = 190) or timing of first intercourse (n = 279). Males, slum residents, and adolescents attending school were more likely to give inconsistent sexual information. Among inconsistent reporters, slum residents, adolescents reporting substance use, and those with secondary (vs. primary) education were more likely to reclaim virginity status than to misreport the timing of first sex. However, older adolescents were less likely to reclaim virginity status. CONCLUSIONS: We found significant differences between adolescents who provide consistent reports and those who misreport sexual behavior data. We argue that researchers should account for biases stemming from misreporting of sensitive information among young people and, in particular, should be cognizant of how reporting quality may vary across demographic groups.
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spelling pubmed-27849472009-12-10 Inconsistencies in Self-Reporting of Sexual Activity Among Young People in Nairobi, Kenya Beguy, Donatien Kabiru, Caroline W. Nderu, Evangeline N. Ngware, Moses W. J Adolesc Health Original Article PURPOSE: Accurate and reliable data on the prevalence of adolescents' sexual behavior are paramount for effective sexual and reproductive health intervention. Adolescents' sexual behavior has been widely studied. However, scholars have raised concerns about the accuracy and reliability of self-reported sexual behavior by adolescents. Previous research shows high levels of adolescent sexual activity in urban informal settlements; yet, the accuracy of self-reported sexual experience in these settings is understudied. METHODS: The objective of this article is to assess consistency of self-reported sexual activity among 2324 adolescents living in slum and nonslum settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. We examine two forms of inconsistencies, namely, what we term “reborn virgins” and inconsistent timing of sexual debut, during two rounds of survey. Factors influencing inconsistent reporting are explored through logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 469 (20%) adolescents gave inconsistent information on whether they have ever had sex (n = 190) or timing of first intercourse (n = 279). Males, slum residents, and adolescents attending school were more likely to give inconsistent sexual information. Among inconsistent reporters, slum residents, adolescents reporting substance use, and those with secondary (vs. primary) education were more likely to reclaim virginity status than to misreport the timing of first sex. However, older adolescents were less likely to reclaim virginity status. CONCLUSIONS: We found significant differences between adolescents who provide consistent reports and those who misreport sexual behavior data. We argue that researchers should account for biases stemming from misreporting of sensitive information among young people and, in particular, should be cognizant of how reporting quality may vary across demographic groups. Elsevier 2009-12 /pmc/articles/PMC2784947/ /pubmed/19931832 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.03.014 Text en © 2009 Elsevier Inc. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Open Access under CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) license
spellingShingle Original Article
Beguy, Donatien
Kabiru, Caroline W.
Nderu, Evangeline N.
Ngware, Moses W.
Inconsistencies in Self-Reporting of Sexual Activity Among Young People in Nairobi, Kenya
title Inconsistencies in Self-Reporting of Sexual Activity Among Young People in Nairobi, Kenya
title_full Inconsistencies in Self-Reporting of Sexual Activity Among Young People in Nairobi, Kenya
title_fullStr Inconsistencies in Self-Reporting of Sexual Activity Among Young People in Nairobi, Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Inconsistencies in Self-Reporting of Sexual Activity Among Young People in Nairobi, Kenya
title_short Inconsistencies in Self-Reporting of Sexual Activity Among Young People in Nairobi, Kenya
title_sort inconsistencies in self-reporting of sexual activity among young people in nairobi, kenya
topic Original Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2784947/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19931832
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.03.014
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