Vietnam Population and AIDS Indicator Survey 2005 ... - Measure DHS

Figure 7.1 Comprehensive Knowledge about AIDS, by Residence
and Education, Vietnam 2005
Total
RESIDENCE
42
50
Urban
Rural
40
47
52
63
EDUCATION
4
Never attended school
2
17
Primary
19
44
Secondary
54
76
More than secondary
80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percentage of respondents
Women
Men
Respondents were asked whether they know of a place to obtain condoms. Condom use among
young people plays an important role in the prevention of transmission of HIV and other sexually
transmitted infections, as well as unwanted pregnancies. Youths can be at a higher risk of contracting
sexually transmitted infections, as they may be more likely to have shorter relationships with more
partners before marriage. Knowledge of a place to get condoms is a necessary precursor to use of
condoms. Results are reported in Table 7.1.
Knowledge of a source of condoms increases dramatically with increasing education for both
women and men. For young women, knowledge of a source for condoms increases from 16 percent for
those who have never attended school to 85 percent for those with more than secondary education. A
similar pattern exists for knowledge of condom sources by wealth quintile, with youths from the lowest
quintile being the least likely to know of a place to get condoms.
7.4 FIRST SEXUAL ACTIVITY
Young women and men were asked at what age they first had sexual intercourse. The percentage
of young women and men who had sexual intercourse before reaching age 15 and age 18 is shown in
Table 7.2. Some youth in the age category of 15-19 are under age 18 and may as yet initiate sex before
reaching age 18; therefore, the proportions who had sex before age 18 are only shown for those age
20-24.
Sexual activity in the early teen years is not common in Vietnam. Less than 1 percent of women
and men age 15-24 said that they had sex before they were 15. Only 11 percent of women and 3 percent
of men who are age 18-24 reported having had sex before reaching age 18. As only the smallest minority
of never-married youth report ever having had sexual intercourse, the data in Table 7.2 come
predominantly from married women and men. In fact, only 0.2 percent of never-married young women
and 4 percent of never-married young men report ever having had sexual intercourse (data shown later in
Table 7.4). Thus, differentials in proportions having had sex reflect differentials in age at marriage. For
Youth and HIV/AIDS | 69