Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of the total samplea by year
| BOYS | GIRLS | Total sample | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | 2002 (N = 4930) % | 2008 (N = 5106) % | 2011 (N = 5166) % | TOTAL BOYS (N = 15202) % | 2002 (N = 5619) % | 2008 (N = 5164) % | 2011 (N = 5831) % | TOTAL GIRLS (N = 16614) % | 2002 (N = 10549) % | 2008 (N = 10270) % | 2011 (N = 10997) % | ALL (N = 31 816) % |
| Age | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Mean | 16.9 | 16.1 | 16.6 | 16.6 | 16.4 | 16.1 | 16.3 | 16.2 | 16.6 | 16.1 | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| Standard deviation | 3.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.3 |
| Gender | ||||||||||||
| Male | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 46.7 | 49.1 | 47.0 | 47.6 |
| Female | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 53.3 | 50.9 | 53.0 | 52.4 |
| Race | ||||||||||||
| Black African | 74.7 | 78.7 | 82.4 | 78.7 | 73.5 | 79.1 | 82.3 | 78.3 | 74.1 | 78.5 | 82.4 | 78.4 |
| Coloured | 14.4 | 13.7 | 10.1 | 12.6 | 15.6 | 14.8 | 10.0 | 13.4 | 15.0 | 14.2 | 10.0 | 13.0 |
| Indian | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| White | 8.4 | 6.0 | 4.7 | 6.4 | 8.8 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 6.2 | 8.7 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 6.3 |
| Other | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Socio-economic status | ||||||||||||
| Father has paid job 5 or more days a week | 41.1 | 40.5 | 37.9 | 39.8 | 40.2 | 38.1 | 36.4 | 38.2 | 40.6 | 39.4 | 37.1 | 39.0 |
| Yes, works less than 5 days a week | 8.6 | 9.2 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 8.2 |
| No, he gets a social grant | b | 7.0 | 7.3 | 10.6 | b | 7.3 | 7.3 | 10.7 | b | 7.1 | 7.3 | 10.6 |
| No, he is unemployed | 17.5 | 10.9 | 11.1 | 8.2 | 17.4 | 12.2 | 12.0 | 8.9 | 17.5 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 8.6 |
| No, he is ill or disabled | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| No, he has retired | 5.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 7.6 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 7.9 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 7.7 |
| My father is deceased | 16.5 | 10.0 | 13.3 | 10.6 | 18.4 | 13.0 | 14.7 | 12.1 | 17.5 | 11.5 | 14.1 | 11.4 |
| I don’t know | 8.2 | 17.4 | 17.8 | 11.8 | 8.7 | 17.8 | 19.0 | 12.1 | 8.5 | 17.6 | 18.4 | 12.0 |
| Mother has paid job 5 or more days | 29.8 | 32.4 | 31.2 | 31.2 | 32.4 | 30.8 | 31.1 | 31.4 | 31.2 | 31.7 | 31.1 | 31.3 |
| Yes, works less than 5 days a week | 12.6 | 12.7 | 12.3 | 12.5 | 11.1 | 12.1 | 10.8 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 11.5 | 11.9 |
| No, she gets a social grant | 23.3 | 9.5 | 10.7 | 14.4 | 24.8 | 11.6 | 12.1 | 16.3 | 24.1 | 10.5 | 11.4 | 15.4 |
| No, she is a housewife | 20.0 | 21.9 | 20.5 | 20.8 | 19.6 | 24.1 | 23.8 | 22.5 | 19.9 | 22.9 | 22.2 | 21.7 |
| No, she is ill or disabled | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| No, she has retired | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| My mother is deceased | 4.8 | 5.5 | 7.4 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 7.8 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 6.2 |
| I don’t know | 3.6 | 12.2 | 12.5 | 9.5 | 2.8 | 10.6 | 9.7 | 7.6 | 3.2 | 11.4 | 11.0 | 8.5 |
| Sexual behaviours | ||||||||||||
| Ever had sex | 50.9 | 45.1 | 45.2 | 47.0 | 34.0 | 30.1 | 29.8 | 31.3 | 41.9 | 37.6 | 36.9 | 38.8 |
| aEver been pregnant | 11.0 | 10.7 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 11.1 | 11.0 | 10.9 | 11.0 |
| Violent behaviours | ||||||||||||
| Ever been hit by boyfriend or girlfriend | 15.3 | 24.7 | 19.2 | 19.2 | 13.6 | 21.1 | 17.2 | 16.6 | 14.4 | 23.0 | 18.2 | 17.9 |
| Ever hit your boyfriend or girlfriend | 15.6 | 21.8 | 18.1 | 18.2 | 11.4 | 17.6 | 13.9 | 13.8 | 13.4 | 19.7 | 15.9 | 15.9 |
| Ever been forced to have sex | 8.7 | 10.9 | 10.7 | 10.1 | 10.7 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 9.2 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 9.7 |
| Ever forced someone to have sex | 9.7 | 11.6 | 11.3 | 10.9 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.3 |
| Cigarette smoking | ||||||||||||
| 0 days | 67.1 | 71.5 | 75.4 | 71.4 | 79.9 | 83.1 | 86.1 | 83.1 | 73.9 | 77.2 | 81.1 | 77.5 |
| 1 or more days | 32.9 | 28.5 | 24.6 | 28.6 | 20.1 | 16.9 | 13.9 | 16.9 | 26.1 | 22.8 | 18.9 | 22.5 |
| Alcohol use | ||||||||||||
| 1 or more days | 58.9 | 58.4 | 57.6 | 58.3 | 49.1 | 47.3 | 50.4 | 49.0 | 53.7 | 52.6 | 46.2 | 50.8 |
| Binge drinking | ||||||||||||
| 1 or more day | 31.7 | 36.8 | 33.7 | 34.1 | 21.1 | 24.9 | 24.0 | 23.3 | 26.1 | 30.8 | 28.6 | 28.5 |
| Drugs | ||||||||||||
| Marijuana | 23.4 | 19.8 | 19.6 | 20.9 | 9.6 | 8.8 | 7.6 | 8.7 | 16.1 | 14.4 | 13.2 | 14.6 |
| Sniffed glue | 11.7 | 14.7 | 13.9 | 13.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 9.5 | 11.4 | 10.1 | 10.3 |
| Mandrax | 7.7 | 9.4 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 4.3 | 6.1 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 5.9 | 8.2 | 5.5 | 6.5 |
| Cocaine | 7.3 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 5.3 | 5.9 |
| Heroin | 11.1 | 7.6 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 5.4 | 10.0 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 7.3 |
| Injection | 7.6 | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 6.6 |
| Other | 7.5 | 9.3 | 5.8 | 7.5 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 7.3 | 4.0 | 5.7 |
| Psychological well-being | ||||||||||||
| Ever had serious sad and hopeless feelings | 24.8 | 24.5 | 24.3 | 24.5 | 25.1 | 24.0 | 25.7 | 24.9 | 25.0 | 24.4 | 25.0 | 24.8 |
| Suicidal | 17.3 | 18.4 | 16.3 | 17.3 | 21.8 | 23.2 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 19.7 | 21.1 | 18.8 | 19.9 |
aWhere boys were asked whether they have made someone pregnant and girls were asked if they ever been pregnant before
b “No, he gets a social grant” was not available as an option in 2002 survey