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Proposes a model of sexual activity among secondary school-going Zambian girls. Identifies the role of dating as an intervening variable in explaining the variation in sexual activity among teenagers. Schools are an important setting for the young to meet and initiate sexual relationships. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed. (Author/MKA)

African continent is characterized by a high prevalence of child fostering than that in the rest of the world. Very few studies have focused on the issue of social services for child fostering families in Zambia. The purpose of this article is to examine the characteristics of Zambian families that foster children and to identify the social services needs of the fostering families based on the empirical findings of this study. The data were collected from 156 households, and nearly one-third of our sample, 52 out of the 156, were fostering households. Results of this study suggest that child fostering in Zambia is not contributing to increases in the educational levels of fostered children. Child fostering appears to be an aspect of family-building strategies. There is a positive relationship between woman’s education and the likelihood of child fostering in Zambia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coale (1973) pointed out that a first step in the transition to modern contraceptive use involves making calculated choices with respect to fertility and use of contraception. As women become aware of the fertility choices, they are likely to actively seek information and become engaged in reproductive decision making. Research studies on the role of social network on contraceptive decision making in Zambia are few and far. The objective of this study is to examine women's strategies and approaches to fertility decision making in Zambia. The sample is gathered from two poor income neighborhoods in Kitwe, Zambia. The sample consists of women from 163 households. Latent class analysis provides a useful technique for identifying the presence of distinct strategies with respect to birth control. Though several heterogeneous categories with respect to various reproductive strategies were expected, only two categories were identified. The first category (latent class) is composed of women who engage in spousal communication with respect to fertility, acquire information though seeking and receiving advices from close social relations on reproductive issues, and are aware of the high cost of raising children. Implications of our finding for family planning programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which examined the relationship between interpersonal skills and sexual activity among female adolescents in Zambia. Factors that are associated with changes in marriage patterns in Africa; Factors which may influence the initiation of sexual activity; Methodology of the study; Results and discussion.

This paper proposes a causal model of sexual activity among a randomly selected sample of 305 Junior secondary school girls in Zambia. The results indicate that liberal sexual attitudes influence romantic involvement with boys. Emotional involvement is likely to result in sexual activity. Traditional courtship forms are slowly being replaced by modern patterns of courtship behaviour. Policy and programme implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the sociodemographic factors which influence familiarity with methods of family planning among 85 males holding low paying jobs in the University of Zambia, Lusaka. The results showed that wife's education had a significant and positive effect on husband's familiarity with family planning methods. In the longer term, female education is likely to emerge as an important factor in the onset of fertility decline in Zambia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper develops a conceptual framework for examining the process of immunisation and explores the sociodemographic determinants of vaccination in Zambia. About 300 mothers with children under 3 years of age were interviewed in urban Lusaka. The analyses suggest that sociostructural, as well as cultural, processes influence the attrition process and immunisation programmes should focus on the uniqueness of each stage. In addition, programmes to improve women's education and to reduce male gender preferences are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents information on sexually active female teenagers in Zambia, with emphasis on the social and demographic aspects. Details on the subjects and method of study used; Information on sexual activity and sociodemographic correlation; Implications of the study.

The article relates the findings of a study on the general attitude of female Zambian teenagers toward sex. According to their agreement or disagreement with the statement that sexual contact with men before marriage is not shameful, the participants were divided into liberal and nonliberal categories. Five variables (academic self-esteem, perceptions of the extent of restrictions on male/female relationships imposed by teachers, perceptions of the extent of restrictions on male/female relationships imposed by parents, perceptions of economic class of parents, and the desired number of male children) were used to discriminate between the two groups. The study used discriminant analysis to assess the characteristics associated with membership in the two groups. All of the variables, except relationships imposed by parents, had positive loadings on the discriminant function. Those with high academic self-esteem and who (a) felt that the number of teacher-imposed restrictions was high, (b) believed that they belonged to the upper social class, and (c) desired more male children, were more likely to hold liberal sexual attitudes. Those who felt that their parents imposed a large number of restrictions on their social activities were more likely to hold nonliberal attitudes toward sex.