School Adolescents’ Risky Sexual Practice and Associated Factors in Nekemte Town, West Ethiopia, 2017

Introduction: World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescent as person between 10 and 19 years of age. Adolescents’ sexual behavior threatens the physical, psychological and social health and wellbeing of this group and takes their life. Objective: So, the aim of this study was to assess in school adolescents’ Risky sexual practice and associated factors in Nekemte Town. Methodology: School based cross sectional survey was carried out on 576 students in March 2015 involving quantitative and qualitative method. The qualitative part involved 12 focus group discussions. The data was collected using pre-tested self-administered questioners and analyzed using SPSS V.20. Multi-variate logistic regression was used to see association between independent and outcome variables. Result: 568 of respondents completed the questioners, making the response rate (98.6%). 105 (18.5%) of study subjects were sexually active and among them 59 (59.6%) and 25 (28.7%) have not used condom on their first sexual encounter and never used condom at any time of their sexual episode, respectively. Considerable proportion of sexually active students had more than one sexual partner 50 (50.5%). Over all 95 (16.5%) of respondents have been engaged in risky sexual practice. Being male (AOR (95% CI) of 5.73 (2.33, 14.08), Perceived poor academic performance (AOR (95% CI) of 17.59 (3.61, 85.55)), pornographic watch (AOR (95% CI) of 3.31 (1.79, 6.14)) and perceived moderate to high HIV risk perception (AOR (95% CI) of 5.89 (2.43, 14.27)) were positively associated with risk sexual practice. Conclusion and Recommendation: School adolescent have risk taking behaviors. Students get information about HIV/AIDS from their school mini media and some voluntary HIV positive person in an occasional and limited way. So that, it is recommended that adolescent should be equipped with comprehensive sexual education, including condom use and understand the consequence of their sexual practice