KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 – The latest National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2022 has revealed a disturbing trend, showing that 33 per cent of teenagers in Malaysia who have ever had sex engaged in intercourse before reaching the age of 14.
According to the study by the Institute for Public Health (IKU), National Institutes of Health at the Ministry of Health, 154,646 adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years reported ever having had sex.
IKU told CodeBlue that the 154,646 figure was a population estimate derived from 7.6 per cent of a sample of 33,523 secondary school students aged from 13 to 17 who reported ever having had sex.
According to the NHMS 2022: Adolescent Health Survey 2022, conducted from June 12 to July 8, 2022, three quarters of Malaysian teenagers who have ever had sex were sexually active, with 75 per cent reported having had sex recently in the past 30 days.
Equally concerning is that 88 per cent of those who have ever had sex did not utilise condoms or any form of birth control. This lack of contraceptive use puts them at a heightened risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Another finding from NHMS 2022 is that 11 per cent of teenagers who have had sex at least once reported having multiple sexual partners.
The age of consent for sex in Malaysia is 16.
The Adolescent Health Survey 2022, conducted from June 12 to July 8, 2022, focused on students aged 13 to 17 years in secondary schools. The findings highlight the need for accessible sexual education programmes and readily available contraceptives for adolescents in Malaysia.
This behaviour amplifies the potential risks associated with unprotected sexual encounters, including an increased likelihood of contracting STIs and the emotional complexities of engaging in intimate relationships at a young age.
Malaysia lacks data on teenage abortions or miscarriages. However, Dr John Teo, an obstetrician and gynaecologist in Sabah, previously reported that teenage births reached a peak of 18,000 in 2012, declining to 7,700 in 2018.
Baby dumping statistics compiled by the police indicate an average of approximately one dumped baby every three days over the past decade.
Other public health experts have suggested that contraceptives services be made available to sexually active teens as one of the ways to curb baby dumping in Malaysia.
Correction note: This story was corrected to state that the 33 per cent of teens who had sex before turning 14 refers to those who have ever had sex, which is 7.6 per cent of the sample. Other percentages referring to having sex recently, having more than one sexual partner, or not using condoms or any birth control method are based on those who have ever had sex.
