Assessment of Sexual behaviour, Attitude and Risk Perception about HIV/AIDS among out-of-school Anti-AIDS club member and non member youths, Mettu and Bedelle towns, Ilu-Abba-Bora Zone Western Ethiopia. A case control study
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Date
2010-06
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Addis Abeba Universty
Abstract
Background: Young people today are at high risk behavior that could expose them to HIV/AIDS
and other STIs and threatened by HIV/AIDS epidemic since they are sexually active at younger
ages and low and/or inconsistent use condoms to ensure protection.
Objective: To assess sexual behavior, attitudes and risk perception about HIV/AIDS among outof-
school anti-AIDS club member and non member youths in Mettu and Bedelle towns.
Methods: The study applied a case control study design in which the behavior difference between
club member and non-club member groups examined. The cases are club members those
registered in the out-of-school anti-AIDS club and actively participated for at least one year.
Controls are non-club member who have never been registered and never became active member
of any anti-AIDS club anywhere in the towns. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was
used to collect data. Focus Group Discussions was also conducted in the two groups to
complement the quantitative findings.
Results: From a total of 786 youths, 386 club member and 400 non-club member participated in
the study. In this survey two third of the club members, (66.6%) & one third of the non-club
members, 33.2% reported to have practiced sexual intercourse in the past. Females were likely
more to start sexual practice at age than males in both groups. Among cases 31.3% reported that
they had two and more than two sexual partners over the past and 29.2% controls reported that
they had more than two sexual partners. Forty five point nine percent of club members and
33.3%of non-club members had used condoms during the first time they had sexual intercourse.
The majority (99.1%) of the study populations were aware of HIV/AIDS. Seventy two pointy five
percent of club member and (54.7%) non-club members perceived that they are at risk or may be
at risk of acquiring the HIV/AIDS. The majority (74.6%) of the club members, and 52% of the
non-club member youths expressed their willingness to undergo VCT for HIV. The prevalence of
multiple sexual partnerships over past year among both groups was 30.3% in the selected towns.
FGD also supplements that both groups admitted that youths in the towns engaged in risky
sexual behaviors such as unprotected sexual intercourse which is the main cause of the spread
of HIV/AIDS in the both towns.
Conclusion: The finding of the survey concluded both club member and non-club member outof-
school youths in this study area were exercising high risky sexual activities like early sex,
multiple sexual partners, and inconsistent use of condom. But, the percentage among club
members was lower than non-club members. Being a club member is protective for HIV/AIDS
related risky sexual behaviors, perception. So, it was recommended that IEC on sexual health
should be given intensively by concerned bodies to make adolescents protect themselves from
these behaviors.
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Keywords
Assessment of Sexual behaviour, Attitude