Association between emergency oral contraceptives use and risky sexual behaviors among female students of wolkite university, SNNPR, Ethiopia
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2017-11
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Abstract
Background: University students are among the most at-risk population and are more likely to be engaged in risky sexual behaviors. They are also the common users of emergency oral contraceptives. However, studies on whether or not use of emergency oral contraceptives affects youth sexual behaviors are rare in a University set up.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess association of emergency oral contraceptives use and risky sexual behaviors among female students of Wolkite University.
Methods: An institution based quantitative cross-sectional survey was carried out using a self-administered structured questionnaire to gather data from 521 randomly selected female students of Wolkite University. The Data were entered into Epi-Data release 3.1and exported to STATA version 14for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study population using major variables of the study. Also, Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses were run to determine association between predictors and dependent variables. Odds ratio was used to measure the strength of association. P-value of less than 0.05 together with 95% confidence interval was used to measure statistical significance.
Results: The result revealed that about 25% (95% CI: 20.7-28.6) of students enrolled into the study are engaged in risky sexual behaviors. It was found that out of 128 students who were sexually active 46% (95% CI: 37.2-55.1) had ever used Emergency contraceptive pills. Emergency contraceptive pill use (AOR=24, 95%CI, 10.5-57), alcohol consumption (AOR=3.1; 95% CI: 1.02-9.4), and being religious (AOR=0.29; 95%CI: 0.16-0.54) were found to be statistically significantly associated with risky sexual behaviors.
Conclusion and recommendation: Considerable amount of students had engaged in risky sexual behaviors that might predispose them to different sexual and reproductive health problems. Reassurance by the use of pill with sense of less vulnerability for HIV/STIs may make teenagers less prepared to practice STI protective behaviors in specific situations. Therefore appropriate interventions are needed to curb the high proportion of higher risky sexual behavior among the students; and young people in universities need to be educated about reproductive health and family planning and skills on preventing both unwanted pregnancy and STIs.
Key wards: Risky Sexual Behavior, EOC use, university student
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sexual behaviors