A Case Study on Risky Sexual Behaviour of Undergraduate Students in Ethiopia

Background: Studies across Ethiopia’s public universities indicated the presence of risky sexual practice. But, there is limited data among students in private universities. This study was conducted to identify patterns and predisposing factors of risky sexual behavior, as well as analyze knowledge, risk perception and attitude to HIV infection. Method: Cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire containing four sections of questions addressing the socio-economic-and-demographic characteristics; substance use and sexual practice of students in one of the randomly selected private universities in Addis Ababa. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (V.16) software. Results: 502 questionnaires were distributed, 425 were completed (with 84.7% response rate). Among students who ever had sex: we found 45 (26.3%) with the early sexual debut, 71 (40.3%) with multiple lifetime partners and 14 (7.8%) had sex for money. In the last 12 months: 157 students were sexually active. 44 (28%) of them had multiple partners. Six male students had sex with other males; 18 males had sex with commercial sex workers. Four of five respondents (145; 81.9%) had ever used a condom. Two third of them used condom-at first or last sex and always with a new partner. The identified factors predisposing to risky sexual behavior were individual factors, social factors, living and cultural conditions. Students with high knowledge of HIV were observed to practice sex with low self-risk perception and HIV testing. Conclusion: Risky sexual behavior exists among private university students. It is suggested that the academic institutions need to collaborate with local health organizations-to study further and mitigate the identified risks.