Premarital sexual practice and associated factors among adolescents in the refugee camps in Tigray, northern Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE: Premarital sexual practice during adolescence time may lead to different sexual and reproductive health problems including HIV/AIDS. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of premarital sexual practice and associated factors among adolescents living in the refugee camps in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. RESULT: The prevalence of premarital sexual practice was 47.6% [95% CI (43.3%, 51.9%)]. The age (mean ± SD) of the study participants was 17.4 ± 2.71 (15-24 years) and 68.8% of them were males. Being in the age group 14-19 years [AOR = 4.50, 95% CI (2.29-8.84)] or 20-24 years [AOR = 9.76, CI (4.58-20.82)], living with friends [AOR = 5.24, 95% CI (2.28-12.05)] or alone [AOR = 5.72, 95% CI (2.69-12.19)], being in primary school [AOR = 6.93, 95% CI (3.08-15.57)] or college [AOR = 4.33, CI (1.44-13.02)], getting pocket money [AOR = 4.14, 95% CI (2.31-7.41)], parents being either divorced [AOR = 5.11, 95% CI (2.42-10.80)] or widowed [AOR = 3.52, 95% CI (1.69-7.33)], alcohol consumption [AOR = 1.99, 95% CI (1.20-3.38)] were independent predictors of premarital sexual practice among the adolescents.