Premarital sex and condom use among never married men in Malawi

Abstract

Premarital sex and non-condom use are both associated with HIV infection. This study used data from 
the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS) 2004 to estimate the prevalence of premarital sex
and examine the association between religion and pre-marital sex among never married Malawian men. 
The associations between the variables were assessed by logistic regression analysis. A total of 1039 
never-married men, mean age 19.6 years (standard deviation=4.3 years) participated in the MDHS of 
2004. A total of 671 (63.2%) of the men reported having ever had sex, that is, reported premarital sexual 
intercourse (PSI) and median age at sexual debut was 16 years. Of the 450 who answered the question 
whether condom was used at last sex, 213 (48.1%) reported having used condom. Compared to 
Catholics (as referents) the adjusted odds ratios for PSI were as follows: Presbyterians 0.83 (0.45-1. 53), 
Seventh-Day Adventists (SDAs) or /Seventh-Day Baptists (SDBs), 0.82 (0.35-1.90), Other Christians 1.00 
(0.63-1.60), Muslims 1.96 (0.96-4.00), those with no religion 1.95 (0.37-3.549). The adjusted odds ratios 
for condom use at last sex were: Presbyterians 1.05 (0.53-2.09); SDAs/SDBs 1.10 (0.41-2.95); Other 
Christians 0.90 (0.47-1.71); Muslims 1.02 (0.41-2.54); No religion 0.56 (0.08-3.77). There was no overall 
difference on the likelihood of reporting having ever had premarital sex among never-married men 
among who reported to belong to a religious group or those not belonging to a religious group. 
Although individuals who reported not belonging to any religion were almost half as likely to have used 
condoms at last sex, the effect estimate was not significant. Reporting no religion was not associated 
with premarital sex nor condom use among men in Malawi.