LEVEL AND DETERMINANTS OF PREMARITAL SEXUAL PRACTICE AMONG YOUTHS IN ETHIOPIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Abstract

Premarital sex is an individual’s experience of sexual contact before engaging in marital life. In Africa, 14 % of girls and young women aged 15–24 and 10 % of boys and young men aged 15–24 had sex before the age of 15. Despite the abundance of studies regarding premarital sexual practice and associated factors in Ethiopia. Therefore, this systematic review aims to pool the prevalence of premarital sex and estimates a pooled effect sizes in Ethiopia. Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to pool the prevalence of premarital sexual practice and summarize the effect sizes of factors associated with the premarital sexual practice in Ethiopia. Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the major database including PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, CINHAL(EBSCO), Web of Science and EMBASE. Inclusion criteria were used based on CoCoPop and PEO format. Data was extracted using the excel spreadsheet extraction tool. Quality of primary studies were assessed using the JBI Critical appraisal checklist adapted for cross-sectional studies and Prevalence studies. This review registered to PROSPERO (CRD42020166238). Analysis of data was carried out using StataCrop MP v.15 software. the finding of this systematic review and meta-analysis was assessed substantial heterogeneity when I2 greater than approximate 50% and p-value <0.10. Result: A total of 6989 articles 6986 were generated from different databases (CINHAL=45, EMBASE= 2544, Google Scholar= 919, PubMed= 3172, Web of Science= 306) and 3 articles hand searched, All study participants were in range of Age from 10 – 24 years with minimum Mean age of 14.2 +1.3SD and Maximum Mean age of 22.03 +1.9SD. The pooled prevalence of Premarital sexual Practice among youths in Ethiopia was 31% (95% CI:26.6, 35.5) I2= 98.5%, p=0.001), a random effect meta-analysis model was computed. Being male was 1.71 [OR: 1.71, with 95% (CI; 1.24, 2.35)] times more likely to engage in premarital sexual practice compared to females, Youths Increasing in age was 2.29 [OR: 2.29, with 95% (CI; 1.54, 2.41)] times more likely to engage in premarital sexual practice compared to youth in lower in age Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis found there is high level of prevalence of premarital sexual practice in Ethiopia, and Determinants for premarital sexual practice in Ethiopia were identified, male gender, viewing pornography and having a boyfriend/girlfriend, Alcohol drinking, Chat chewing, Increasing in age and peer pressure factors.