Table 2 Bivariate analysis of early sexual debut among adolescent girls and young women in Sierra Leone

Overall prevalence

26.1 [24.3, 28.0]

Age (years)

< 0.001

15–19

30.0 [27.4, 32.7]

20–24

23.2 [21.0, 25.5]

Level of education

< 0.001

No education

35.9 [31.9, 40.1]

Primary

36.7 [32.6, 41.1]

Secondary/higher

20.4 [18.4, 22.5]

Current working status

< 0.001

Not working

20.0 [18.0, 22.3]

Working

31.2 [28.7, 33.8]

Read newspapers or magazines

< 0.001

Not at all

27.1 [25.2, 29.2]

Less than once a week

15.3 [10.9, 21.2]

At least once a week

20.1 [13.0, 29.7]

Listen to radio

Not at all

28.7 [26.4, 31.2]

0.002

Less than once a week

22.1 [18.9, 25.6]

At least once a week

24.0 [20.8, 27.5]

Watch television

< 0.001

Not at all

29.1 [26.8, 31.5]

Less than once a week

19.7 [16.5, 23.4]

At least once a week

18.5 [14.8, 22.9]

Use internet

< 0.001

Never

29.6 [27.5, 31.7]

Yes, the last 12 months

10.1 [7.9, 12.9]

Yes, before the last 12 months

23.8 [13.9, 37.5]

Family size

0.101

Less than five

28.2 [25.2, 31.3]

Five or more

25.4 [23.4, 27.5]

Marital status

< 0.001

Never married

21.7 [19.5, 24.0]

Married/cohabiting

31.6 [28.8, 34.6]

Previously married

40.4 [29.0, 52.9]

Ethnicity

< 0.001

Creole

28.7 [13.7, 50.5]

Fullah

12.2 [7.4, 19.3]

Kono

19.7 [13.9, 27.2]

Limba

24.0 [19.7, 29.0]

Loko

24.4 [15.9, 35.5]

Madingo

17.6 [10.7, 27.7]

Mende

25.7 [23.0, 28.7]

Sherbro

12.5 [5.8, 24.8]

Temne

30.0 [26.8, 33.4]

Korankoh

22.2 [14.0, 33.2]

Others

30.6 [23.3, 39.1]

Religion

0.993

Christian

26.1 [23.0, 29.5]

Islam

26.1 [24.1, 28.3]

Ever heard of STIs

< 0.001

No

40.1 [32.5, 48.1]

Yes

25.6 [23.8, 27.6]

Contraceptive use and intention

0.013

Using

27.3 [24.5, 30.3]

Intend to use

23.5 [21.2, 25.9]

Does not intend to use

29.3 [25.6, 33.3]

Wealth index

< 0.000

Poorest

35.7 [30.9, 40.8]

Poorer

35.4 [31.6, 39.5]

Middle

29.4 [25.7, 33.3]

Richer

21.0 [18.2, 24.2]

Richest

15.6 [12.7, 19.2]

Place of residence

< 0.001

Urban

20.3 [17.8, 23.1]

Rural

31.7 [29.2, 34.5]

Province

< 0.001

Eastern

26.9 [23.3, 30.8]

Northern

31.6 [27.0, 36.5]

North Western

33.2 [28.6, 38.1]

Southern

24.8 [21.4, 28.5]

Western

16.3 [13.1, 20.2]