Background: The problem of street children is becoming a world crosscutting
issue since these children exist in every part of the world and become a
worldwide problem. Objective: To assess factors associated with vulnerability
to STIs and HIV/AIDS among street children in selected towns of Ethiopia. Methodology: Community-based cross-sectional descriptive study design
was used on the three selected towns of Ethiopia from June-September,
2016. A total of 360 street children were selected, using snow ball sampling
technique. Data were collected using pre-tested interviewer-administered
questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Results: A
total of 360 (97.8%) respondents were included in this study. Among them,
167 (46.4%) of them had practiced sexual intercourse and out of these, 137
(82%) had started having sex at the age of 16 years old. Out of these, 61
(36.53%) of them started to get daily basic needs whereas 54 (32.3%) of
them were forcefully raped on the street. Only 53 (59.6%) had used condom
consistently and 83 (49.7%) had conducted survival sex within the last 12
months. Children on the street or chewing khat or consumption of alcohol
had more vulnerability to STIs and HIV about 2.532 (1.57 - 4.08), 2.32 (1.11
- 4.80), 4.18 (2.31 - 7.55) times respectively. But those enrolled in school
were about 0.40 (0.25, 0.64) less likely vulnerable than their counterparts. Conclusion: Street children are at a higher likelihood of vulnerability to
STIs and HIV. Intervention targeted multilevel approach such as
re-integration with their family, life skills training, sexuality education,
creating income-generating activities and information education about STIs
and HIV should be considered.
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