Table 1.
Characteristics of the study participants by gender: 12–18-year-old Ghanaian adolescents, 2008
| Boys (n 498) | Girls (n 659) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | % | % | P value (for gender difference)* |
| Age (years) | 0·370 | ||
| 12 | 3·0 | 2·3 | |
| 13 | 9·2 | 6·5 | |
| 14 | 13·7 | 13·1 | |
| 15 | 16·7 | 20·2 | |
| 16 | 19·1 | 21·1 | |
| 17 | 20·5 | 20·9 | |
| 18 | 17·9 | 15·9 | |
| Material affluence scale (n 1126) | <0·001 | ||
| Poorest | 21·9 | 16·5 | |
| Poor | 23·1 | 14·7 | |
| Average | 20·5 | 19·3 | |
| Affluent | 13·9 | 21·9 | |
| Most affluent | 15·7 | 21·2 | |
| Missing | 5·0 | 6·4 | |
| Family structure (n 1189) | 0·010 | ||
| Both parents dead | 5·4 | 2·0 | |
| Only one parent alive | 17·9 | 16·7 | |
| Both parents alive but not living together | 21·9 | 21·2 | |
| Nuclear family | 54·4 | 59·5 | |
| Missing | 0·4 | 0·6 | |
| Father's education (n 1133) | 0·008 | ||
| Illiterate | 10·4 | 6·5 | |
| Primary education | 34·3 | 29·0 | |
| Secondary education | 27·9 | 33·2 | |
| Tertiary education | 22·3 | 25·8 | |
| Missing | 5·0 | 5·5 | |
| Mother's education (n 1146) | 0·001 | ||
| Illiterate | 18·5 | 14·7 | |
| Primary education | 46·6 | 39·8 | |
| Secondary education | 22·9 | 30·7 | |
| Tertiary education | 7·2 | 11·2 | |
| Missing | 4·8 | 3·6 | |
| Father's occupation (n 1048) | 0·060 | ||
| Unemployed | 3.8 | 3.6 | |
| Low grade | 61·8 | 52·4 | |
| High grade | 25·3 | 29·7 | |
| Missing | 9·0 | 14·3 | |
| Mother's occupation (n 1120) | 0·017 | ||
| Unemployed | 4·4 | 3.0 | |
| Low grade | 82·1 | 77·2 | |
| High grade | 8·0 | 12·7 | |
| Missing | 5·4 | 7·0 | |
| School performance (n 1188) | <0·001 | ||
| Low | 8·6 | 16·5 | |
| Middle | 48·4 | 54·2 | |
| High | 42·2 | 28·8 | |
| Missing | 0·8 | 0·5 | |
| Plans after graduation (n 1186) | 0·028 | ||
| Not continue school | 14·3 | 10·2 | |
| Continue school | 84·3 | 89·5 | |
| Missing | 1·4 | 0·3 |
*Missing values were excluded from the statistical test.