Summary

When AIDS emerged in the 1980s, it caught humankind by surprise with its pants down in a world of cultural diversity and prejudice. However, the death toll associated with this pandemic shifted the course of scientific research and programs from family planning to sexual health as scholars struggled to understand the implications of different forms of sexual behaviors on populations. Still, in the two decades that followed, the tendency has been to search selectively for evidence that confirms held beliefs. Sexual Behavior of Adolescents in Contemporary Africa provides a perspective on adolescent sexual behavior in Africa that is based on the state-of-art research methodologies. Written by an international and interdisciplinary group of scientists and covering all sub-Saharan regions, this book is a truly pan-African volume on new research on adolescent sexual behavior. The papers in this volume show that Africa is a mosaic of cultures where local norms and values must be considered in order to successfully understand and manage the emerging sexual and reproductive health issues. sample survey research, focus-groups, meta- analysis, and actual HIV testing, Sexual Behavior of Adolescents in Contemporary Africa is certainly a very strong and timely reference book to students, researchers, policy- makers, and all those interested in sexual science in contemporary Africa.