Factors Affecting Premarital Sex among Male College Students of Kathmandu, Nepal

Ramesh Adhikari, Mahendra Ratna Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

In Nepal, as in other Asian countries, the issue on sexuality still remains a taboo. Despite this, there are increasing numbers of sexual activities reported among Nepalese students. Due to sensitivity of this issue, youth receive inadequate education, guidance and services on reproductive health. The main objective of this paper is to determine the prevalence and investigate the influencing factors of premarital sexual intercourse among male college students. A self-administered questionnaire was filled by the students. Association between premarital sex and the explanatory variables were first assessed in bivariate analysis then further explored using multivariate logistic analysis. The study found that individual, family and peer characteristics such as alcohol consumption, smoking habits, attitude towards virginity, parents’ education, parents’ status (whether having single or both) and peers’ sexual behavior had main effects on premarital sex among male students. School/college based sex education could benefit to prevent from risky sexual behavior.