Home Leaving and Risk Taking Behaviors of Youth: The Case of Zamboanga Peninsula

Abstract

The paper describes the risk-taking behavior of young adults aged 15-24 of Zamboanga Peninsula who have experience living away from home. It identifies significant background factors that determine their engagement in non-sexual and sexual risk behaviors. It also specifies possible interventions based on the findings. The findings show that more females ever experienced living away from home compared to their male’s counterpart. The level of smoking, drinking, drug-use and premarital sex is higher among male youth than their female counterpart. The multivariate analysis that age, schooling status, participation in religious activities and urban exposure are considered risk factors for smoking among female adolescents. However, religiosity has a protective effect on smoking among the females. For home-leavers, the results shows that both male and female home-leavers are twice more likely to drink than non-home-leavers. Increasing age and urban exposure are predisposing factors for drug drug-use among male adolescents. Moreover, age, marital status, urban exposure and employment are risk factors for engaging in PMS. However, being in school protect adolescents from engaging in PMS. Sexual risk behaviors and non-sexual risk behaviors are interconnected in the findings. Smoking increases the odds of drinking for both sexes. Male smokers are 6 times more likely to drink than non-smokers. On the other hand, female smokers are 5 times more likely to drink than non-smokers. Smoking and drinking also significantly increase the odds by 5 times or more to engage in drug use for both sexes. The findings also reveal that those who smoke and use drugs are more likely to engage in premarital sexual behavior.

 

Keywords: Home Leaving, Risk Taking