The Ashanti Region of Ghana has the highest rate of underage sex among adolescents nationwide, according to a recent Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) research.
Nine districts in the region had a high prevalence of such actions, according to the survey, which found that the tendency was significant among females under the age of sixteen.
Among the other districts are Amansie South, Amansie Central, Amansie West, Adansi Asokwa, Adansi South, Asante Akim South Municipality, Bosome Freho, and Ahafo Ano South East, with Akrofuom district in the lead with an astounding 42.0%.
The purpose of the study is to assist in the development and execution of focused policies and interventions to address issues at the sub-national level. It did this by using small area estimation to produce data on district-level indicators of population health and well-being.
The Director of Methods and Standards Directorates, GSS, Dr. Peter Takyi Peprah, presented highlights of the “Adolescent Risky Sexual Behavior” report at a news conference in Accra. He stated that among males, the Eastern region had the highest rate of underage sexual activity, with the Upper Manya Krobo district having the highest rate (35.7%).
He claimed that if immediate action was not done to buck the trend, which not only affected underage sex but also involved the majority of teenagers in many sexual relationships, the situation would have catastrophic health, social, and economic repercussions for the country.
In the top ten districts for teenage girls with multiple sexual partners, Dr. Peprah highlighted the Bono and Western North Regions.
“About one in three girls 15-19 years had multiple sexual partners in the previous 12 months, with highest rates in Dormaa East (38.7 per cent), Dormaa Central Municipal (37.7 per cent), and Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai (37.5 per cent) districts.”
“All districts except one in the top 10 that recorded the highest rate of multiple sexual partnership among adolescent boys were in the Oti Region, led by Guan with 36.3 per cent, Nkwanta South Municipal (35.4 per cent) and Krachi Nchumuru (35.0 per cent),” he explained.
Dr. Athanasius Ayetey Larbi, a gynecologist with the Ghana Health Service, responded to the report’s findings, which were released alongside another on the “Utilization of Maternal Health Services” at the sub-national level. He said the report was timely in helping authorities make interventions to address the difficulties that teenage girls’ and boys’ sexual behaviors present.
“While progress has been made nationally, the persistent intraregional disparities as presented in these reports require intensified focus in the districts to bridge these gaps and ensure more equitable distribution of resources to tackle these problems.”
According to government statistician Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, the data would help guide policy choices, enable focused initiatives, and guarantee fair coverage in each of the nation’s 261 districts.
He reiterated the Ghana Statistical Service’s dedication to generating baseline data for policies that have not yet been put into effect as well as statistics for policy planning, evaluation, and amendment.
Source: newsthemegh.com