Socio-cultural Context of Youth Sexuality and Related Health Issues among College Students in Nekemte Town
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Date
2013-03
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AAU
Abstract
Youth sexual behavior was not given enough emphasis until recently. As a result, this segment of the
population has been at the centre of the HW pandemic around the world. The current study sought to
explore the sexual experiences, sexual behavior and safer/unsafe sex practices of male and female
college youths in the context of the HW/ AIDs pandemic in the country by placing it within the existing
socio-cultural context. To that end, the study investigated: college students' narrated sexual
experiences, their perceived sexual relations, the degree of students' engagement in negotiated safer sex practices, and factors facilitating / constraining students' initiation of sexual relationship and safer
sex practices.
Data gathered from survey questionnaire administered among randomly chosen college students
(N=200) in Nekemete town revealed that 34% of the students were sexually engaged. Empirical
materials obtained largely from focus group discussions with 35 college students (18 male and 1 7
female) revealed that college youths were sexually engaged with one another and non- college people
as well. Students' sexual engagement with people outside colleges included female students' sexual
relations with "sugar daddies" and male students' sexual experience with high school students and
less commonly with commercial sex workers. Female and male students had generally positive
perceptions towards the sexual relations existing amongst themselves. They were, however, critical of
relations female students had with "sugar daddies", and sexual affairs between male students and
commercial sex workers. The significant number of college students' youth, as revealed by empirical
material, are in such sexual affair. The qualitative data further revealed that college female students
rarely negotiated their sexual motives. Female students were presented as people who passively or sub
- consciously surrender into young men's trickeries in to sex after momentary resistance.
Notwithstanding some positive signs of safer sex practices, students' overall sexual practices were
characterized by unsafe sex (procrastinating HW testing, promiscuity, non/ inconsistent condom use,
and absence of meaningful communications on sexual matters), risky behaviors including alcohol and/
or chat use were reported to have led the college youth to risk sexual behaviors, including sex with
having commercial sex workers without condoms.
Qualitative data showed students' high level of knowledge about contraceptive methods and condom
use, but students' failure to translate it into protective behaviors implies the need for interventions
beyond provision of knowledge. Among other things, the study underlined the need to raise students;
positive attitudes towards safer sex practices and developing students' skills and abilities in using
condoms and other contraceptives through peer- led education and training of life skills.