Causes and Consequences of Risky Sexual Behavior among the Military Personnel at Zalambessa Town, Tigray Regional State
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Date
2009-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Objective: The general objective of the swdy is to investigate the extent of risky sexual
beha vior among Militmy personnel and to explore the variolls lInderlying causes and
consequences of their sexual behavior in Tigray regional state, Zalambessa fown.
Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed to achieve the staled objectives. Simple
random sampling was used fa select the 420 respondents. To analyze Ihe data univariate.
bivariate, and multivariate techniques of data analysis were applied. Chi square lest was
employed to see rhe association between predictive and outcome variables. Logistic regression is
also jit to identify determinants of risky sexual behavior using Statistical Package for Social
Scientists (SPSS Version 15). To in -depth the results of the quantitative data, qualitative data
were also generated using FGD.
Results: Ninety-two percent of the study population has ever had sexual intercourse. Eightynine
percent, forty-four percent and twenty-jive percent of the respondents had sexual
intercourse, had sex with commercial sex workers and had at leas! four or more sexual partners,
respectively in the last 12 months. Nin ety-six percent and ninety-jive percent of the respondents
reported to have ever heard about condoms alld llsed in their hfe time consistently, respectively.
Multivariate results sholVed that the likelihood of having sex with commercial sex workers who
had ever married is more than never married by a fac tor of 1.95. The likelihood of having work
related stress for those who said no is greater than those who said yes by a f actor of 1.6. Those
respondents who took alcohol in the last fOllr weeks preceding the survey were 1II0re likely to
have sex within commercial sex workers than those who did not consume alcohol.
The logistic regression model also ref/ects that variables like education, marital status and work
related stress come up as determinants of sex with commercial sex workers. As, education
increases the likelihood of doing sex with commercial sex workers decreases. This indicates that
education has its own positive role in denying sex with sex workers.
The model again depicts that age, education and work related stress are determinan.ts of multiple
sexual panners. Age is positively correlated with multiple sexual partners. Thus it can be said
that increase in age by itself has Q positive influence in developing multiple sexual partners. On
the Ollter hand, education has a negative influence on having multiple sexual partners.
Conclusion: Studies on sexual behavior of the sexually active population in general and the
adolescent including Milit{l/Y force in particular are crucial ill designing, implementing and
monitOring effective intervention programs-;-targeted in- behavioral changes that-enable-lO_
prevent or to reduce risky sexual behavior. Finally, the study recommends that in order
to bring behavioral change in the military personnel, concerned military h.ealth officers should
arrange programs using Drama, Magazine (Tikuakur Nebroch or the black Tig ers), in the Anti
ADS club. Peer education should also be promoted if risky sexual behavior is to be eliminated
among the military personnel.