Context: The age at sexual debut is declining in China, but little is known about the relationship between the social and demographic characteristics of Chinese youth and the timing of debut.
Methods: Data were drawn from the 2009 National Youth Reproductive Health Survey, which collected background information and age at sexual debut from 22,300 unmarried youth aged 15-24. Life table analysis was used to estimate the gender-specific distributions of sexual debut by age, according to urban or rural residence and by region. Cox proportional hazard regression models were then employed to identify characteristics associated with the timing of debut among males and females.
Results: The mean age at sexual debut was 22.8 years (22.5 years for men and 23.1 years for women). Sexual debut before age 18 was rare for both genders, and ages 21-24 appear to be the normative range for sexual debut. Life table analysis found that debut was earlier for males than for females, for those living in a rural area than for those in urban areas, and for those living in western China than for those in other regions. In multivariate hazard regression analysis, males had a 30% greater risk of experiencing sexual debut within each year of age than did females. Living in a household with both biological parents, having a father with a junior or senior high school education, being a college graduate and living in an urban area were associated with a reduced risk of experiencing sexual debut.
Conclusion: This study provides insight into the basic patterns and social and demographic correlates of sexual debut among Chinese youth.