[The age of sexual debut among Norwegian adolescents]

Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to study age at first intercourse among Norwegian adolescents. The data stemmed from a nation-wide study of 3,000 Norwegian adolescents aged 17-19 years. The response rate was 61.8%. Median age at first intercourse was 17.3 years for girls and 18.0 years for boys. The results indicate that median age at first intercourse has not become lower in Norway since 1975. Age at first intercourse was significantly associated with educational aspirations and frequency of visits to church by respondents and parents. Furthermore, age at first intercourse was significantly associated with smoking behaviour, alcohol consumption, peer affiliation and frequency of visiting a discotheque. These inter-relationships confirm that age at first intercourse is an important indicator of the lifestyle of an individual. Thus, in order to influence the sexual behaviour of adolescents it thus seem appropriate, as a supplement to traditional methods of sex education, to employ health promotion activities which focus on environmental and structural factors.