Livelihood and Adolescent sexual behaviour in an urban slum

This study examines the relationship between sexual behaviour and living conditions among adolescent residents of Iwaya, a slum in Lagos, Nigeria. One of the world’s fastest growing cities, Lagos has an estimated population of 16 million. Its unprecedentedly rapid population growth without a commensurate economic expansion has given rise to a disproportionate growth in the number of underpriviledged people within the city. These poor people are forced to reside in any of the over 100 slums, -areas typified by high-density housing and squalid surroundings-, that dot the metropolis. The extreme poverty and desperate social conditions in slum areas have severe health implications for women and adolescent girls. In particular, living in overcrowded slum dwellings is linked with risky sexual behavior among adolescents. In this study, quantitative and qualitative data from a 2011 study reveal that out-of-school adolescent girls residing in Iwaya slum, initiate sex at earlier ages and have more sexual partners than their counterparts nationwide. Contextual evidence from Focus Group Discussions corroborates quantitative data. These findings suggest that any intervention to ameliorate reproductive health behaviour of impoverished girls need to be accompanied with efforts to improve their economic circumstance.