Debut Age for Sex and Sexual Behaviour Among Secondary School Students in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria

Background: This study evaluated the debut age for sex and the sexual behavior and practices among secondary school adolescents in Nsukka, Enugu state, Nigeria. Materials and Methods:A Cross-sectional study design was adopted.Multistage sampling method was used to select respondents over a period of 3 months (April -June 2022).The study participants were students in selected public secondary schools in Nsukka, Enugu State between the ages of 10 and 19 years.A self-administered, 25 multiple-choice item English language questionnaire was used. Results:The result of this study reveals that 26% of our participants have had a sexual encounter and and the mean debut age of sex being 13.42 ± 2.96 years.Also, 69% of our respondents engaged in unprotected sex, and the reason for not using protection varied between males and females.23% of our respondents who have ever had sex had multiple sexual partners and motivation for engaging in sex varied between males and females. Conclusion:The study's findings indicate that adolescents in secondary schools in Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria, are beginning to have sexual relationships at younger ages and that risky sexual activity is very common among them.