Predictors of intention to be sexually active among Tanzanian school children

This paper presents the results from a study of human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS risk behaviour conducted among primary school children in the Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions of northern Tanzania. The study was guided by the theory of reasoned action, and the decision to have or abstain from sexual intercourse was studied. All sixth and seventh grade pupils at eighteen schools were invited to participate. A total of 2,026 pupils (mean age 14.0 years) participated (participation rate of 85%), representing a wide variety of ethnic, socio-economic and urban-rural groups. Sixty-three percent of the boys and 24% of the girls reported having had their sexual debut. Attitudes, subjective norms and self-efficacy were all predictors of intention to have sexual intercourse within the next three months, but prior behaviour emerged as the strongest predictor of intention. Primary schools appear to be an important arena for HIV/AIDS education in Tanzania and it is recommended that such education be directed toward young adolescents.