Modeling sexual activity among schoolgirls in Zambia

This article proposes a model of sexual activity among secondary school-goi ng Zambian girls. The model is tested far two age categories of adolescents using Covariance Structure Analysis. A sample of teenage girls was selecte d randomly from seven secondary schools that were selected randomly from sc hools located in the urban provinces of Copperbelt and Lusaka-Central in Za mbia. The article identifies the role of dating as an intervening variable in explaining the variation in sexual activity among teenagers. In Zambia, courtship activities between young men and women traditionally took place u nder the supervision of parents and community elders. Presently, schools an an important setting for the young to meet and initiate sexual relationshi ps. The theoretical and policy implications of this an discussed.