Assessment of the Magnitude and Awareness of Delay of Sexual Activity Among Unmarried Youths (Aged 20 To 24 Years) to Prevent HIV/AIDS and Other STDS In Metu Town, Ethiopia
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Date
2005-04
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The various reasons that could be mentioned for the adolescents’ unable to delay sexual activity
were a socio-economic and socio-cultural environments that enhance the inception of sex at an
early age. The main objective of the research was to assess the magnitude and awareness of
delay of sex that contribute to or retard the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STDs in youths where
the degree of the problem had not been known. The study design used was cross sectional
encompassing both quantitative and qualitative study methods of data collection. Using the
probability sampling technique, 460(218 females and 242 males) town resident youths unmarried
(aged 20 –24 years) were selected from the four kebeles by systematic random sampling for the
interview. A structured questionnaire and four focus group discussion sessions were used to
collect the data. Moreover, thirteen in-depth interviews were utilized. Seventy (fifteen
percent)and 63(13.7%) of them were males and females of 20 years of age respectively. The
mean age of the survey respondents was found to be 21.61±1.35 whereas the median age was 23
year. One hundred ten (45.5%) of males and 77(35.3%) of females had commenced sexual
intercourse. The mean and the median ages at the first sexual debut were 17.12±2.05 and 17
years respectively. Three of the female respondents commenced sexual intercourse at 10 years of
age. Majority of them attended school where 45% of them had accomplished secondary
education. Interest of an individual youth, peer pressure, substance abuse, loss of one or both
parents and had not been raised up by biological parents were some of the contributing factors
for the initiation of early sex whereas passing several years at school, fear of HIV/AIDS and
other STDs were few of the factors to enhance delay of sex. Finally, this result is to be utilized
for the development of appropriate strategies and programs for interventions that will enable the
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youths to be protected from high-risk sexual behavior and hence postpone early sexual
intercourse until later age/until marriage
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Keywords
HIV/AIDS, Delay of sex