Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey ... - Measure DHS

Figure 8.1 Knowledge of a Source for Condoms amongYouth Age 15-24 by Level of Education80100 Percent Women Men70 696781708460404843200No education Primary incomplete Primary complete Secondary+EducationTHMIS 2007-088.3 FIRST SEXUAL EXPERIENCEGiven that the main route of HIV transmission in Tanzania is through heterosexual contact,age at first sexual intercourse marks the time at which most individuals risk exposure to HIV.Following this concern, the 2007-08 THMIS collected information on the timing of first sexualintercourse for both men and women. The percentage of young women and men who had sexualintercourse before reaching age 15 and age 18 is shown in Table 8.2. Because some of those who areage 15-24 are under age 18 and may still initiate sex before reaching age 18, the proportions who hadsex before age 18 can only be shown for those age 18-24.Eleven percent of young women and 10 percent of young men age 15-24 in Tanzania had sexbefore they were 15 years (the same levels as in the 2003-04 THIS). Over half of women and 43percent of men age 18-24 reported having sex before reaching age 18 years. Rural women are morelikely than urban women to have had sex by age 15 (12 and 8 percent, respectively). For men, thesefigures are 11 and 7 percent, respectively. Women and men in Mainland Tanzania are much morelikely than those in Zanzibar to have had sex by age 15 years.There is a strong negative relationship between a person’s level of education and age at firstsex. The percentage of women and men who had the first sex by age 15 decreases as level ofeducation increases. Women age 15-24 with no education are far more likely to have had sex beforeage 15 (22 percent) than young women with secondary education and above (4 percent). There is asimilar but less pronounced pattern among young men the same age. Young women in poorerhouseholds are more likely than those in wealthier households to have had sex by age 15; however,the relationship between wealth and age at first sex is less clear for young men.Youth and HIV/AIDS | 95