the paper discusses factors associated with sexual risk behaviour,
i.e. failure to use condoms consistently during sexual intercourse,
among unmarried sexually experienced youths in south africa. data
from the ‘transitions to adulthood in the context of aids in south
africa’ surveys of 1999 and 2001 were analysed to identify factors
associated with high sexual risk behaviour among the youth. the
multinomial regression models for male and female youths were fitted
separately for the 1999 and 2001 data sets. the results show
increasingly consistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse and
that high sexual risk behaviour among youths is predominantly
determined by social factors such as ‘ever-pregnant’ or ‘ever made
pregnant’, ‘ever given something for sex’, age of sexual partner,
currently in school, pressured by friends to have sex, peer
influence on safe sex and education level for males. there is
evidence that availability of contraception information is important
in strategic interventions that seek to change the sexual behaviour
of the youth in south africa.