Topic > Sexual Behaviors in Thai Adolescents - 694

As in many other countries, risky sexual behaviors among Thai adolescents have increased and they are having sex at an earlier age. Although premarital sex is not accepted in traditional Thai culture, today's teenagers in Thailand are engaging in sexual relationships outside the confines of marriage. This has been attributed to the growing influence of Western ideas brought by industrialization and urbanization (Rasamimari et al., 2007). The percentage of teenage mothers in Thailand increased from 10.4% to 12.4% between 2000 and 2003 (Thato et al., 2007). A study by Isaranurung et al. (2006) found that 13.3% of all Thai pregnancies occurred in women under 20 years of age, and the highest percentage of teenage pregnancies was found in the northeastern region of the country (18%). Higher rates of low birth weight infants were also found among adolescent mothers compared to mothers aged 20 years and older (15.1% versus 8.8%). Additionally, a study focused on the incidence and complications of teenage pregnancy found that 20% of teenage mothers give birth prematurely compared to 13.5% of mothers over the age of 20. Similarly, the percentage of mothers with anemia is higher in adolescents (17%) than in adults (11%) (Watcharaseranee et al., 2006). A study conducted in Bangkok on 362 adolescents, in grades 10 to 12, found that 25.4% of male adolescents and 7.9% of female adolescents had experienced coitus, and that 9.7% reported of homosexual experiences (O-Prasertsawat & Petchum, 2004). Based on a study of 832 Thai female vocational students, Allen et al (2003) indicate that the average age of first coitus was 17.6 years and that 48% of male students and 43% of female students had had intercourse sex workers reported not using contrac. ..... half of the paper ...... a study on risky sexual behavior in adolescents in rural Thai society is needed. Potential problem areas become immediately visible. For example, in rural Thailand, the public health workers' contraceptive unit is viewed by the public as a service for married people, usually women, which means that adolescents of both sexes feel they cannot turn to these professionals for advice and assistance on contraception. Thato et al., 2003). In Thailand, family planning programs have succeeded in reducing the fertility of married women, while unmarried women have been neglected and access to reproductive health services remains limited (UNFPA, 2005). This has resulted in the frequent occurrence of complications caused by chemically induced unsafe abortions by unauthorized practitioners, which still represents a major public health problem in Thailand (Warakamin et al.., 2004).