Sexual health behavior trends in a nationally representative sample of Canadian migrant adolescents from 2014 to 2022

Daniel Ji; Monica Rana; Mauricio Coronel-Villalobos; Nour Hammami; Elizabeth Saewyc

doi:10.1186/s12889-025-23966-9

Sexual health behavior trends in a nationally representative sample of Canadian migrant adolescents from 2014 to 2022

BMC Public Health. 2025 Sep 2;25(1):3006. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23966-9.

Authors

Daniel Ji^{1

2}, Monica Rana³, Mauricio Coronel-Villalobos³, Nour Hammami⁴, Elizabeth Saewyc³

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 0A2, Canada. daniel.ji@uregina.ca.
² Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre, The University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia School of Nursing, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada. daniel.ji@uregina.ca.
³ Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre, The University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia School of Nursing, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada.
⁴ Child and Youth Studies, Trent University, Trent University Durham 55 Thoronton Road South, Oshawa, ON, L1J 5Y1, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Migrant youth in Canada are disproportionately vulnerable to the consequences of inadequate contraception use compared to their Canada-born peers, yet the sexual health behaviours of this population across time are poorly understood. This study mapped national Canadian trends in migrant adolescent sexual health behaviors disaggregated by migrant status and sex over eight years.

Methods: Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study data were analyzed in 2014, 2018, and 2022 for sexual experience, condom, contraceptive pill, dual and neither method use at last intercourse. Age-adjusted logistic regressions examined prevalence trends of sexual health behaviors across years stratified by migrant status separately for boys and girls. Using non-migrants as referent group and 2014 as referent year, we then examined contrasts for disparities by year to test whether differences in sexual health behavior prevalence between migrant and non-migrant youth widened, narrowed, or remained stable for each sex.

Results: Migrant girls were less likely to report sexual experience across all waves, a gap that remained consistent in 2018 and 2022. Compared to 2014, sexual health behaviors declined across all groups, especially migrants. Migrant boys were less likely to report sexual experience in 2018 and were less likely than Canada-born youth to use condoms in 2022. Contraceptive pill use was lower among migrant girls in 2022, this gap narrowed. Migrant boys were less likely to use contraceptive pills in 2018, this gap narrowed. Use of the dual method of contraception was lower in 2022 among migrant girls and boys. Migrant boys were more likely than non-migrants to use neither method in 2018 and 2022, this gap widened.

Conclusions: Accessible contraception, culturally safe and relevant health information/services are recommended to counter declining contraception and safer sex behaviors among migrant youth.

Keywords: Adolescent; Longitudinal; Migrant; Reproductive health; STI prevention.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior*
Canada
Contraception Behavior / statistics & numerical data
Female
Humans
Male
Sexual Behavior* / statistics & numerical data
Sexual Health*
Transients and Migrants* / psychology
Transients and Migrants* / statistics & numerical data

Grants and funding

AWD-025998/Canada First Research Excellence Fund