Assessment of Risky Sexual Behaviors and Associated Risk Factors among Students of Arsi University, Ethiopia

Background: Risky sexual behavior remains a critical health concern among the general population of Ethiopia. The occurrence of risky sexual behaviors and associated factors for HIV infections is the core of sexuality matters in adolescents and youths. The aim of this study was to assess the risky sexual behavior among students of Arsi University. Methods: A cross sectional institutional based study among Arsi University students to assess risky sexual behavior. Six hundred twenty two randomly selected students were included in the study from three colleges. Structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information. Data was entered to Epi-enfo version 7 and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 622 students were included in the study. About 261 (72.2%) students had sexual intercourse previously, and the mean age at first sexual intercourse was 18.6 ± 0.122. Among the sexually active students, 175 (67%) used condom during sexual intercourse. Students who wore fashion clothes, chewing chat and prefer premarital sex were more likely to use condom inconsistently. Conclusion and recommendation: Almost half of the study participants had been engaged in sexual intercourse and the level of consistent condom use was low. Therefore, there is a need to enhance the awareness of students about the effect of addiction and other potential factors on developing risky sexual behavior.