Glimpse of University Students’ Sexual Behaviors and Their Perception of Susceptibility of HIV/AIDS: the Case of University of Gondar

Abstract

One of the devastating consequences of the pandemic HIV/AIDS is that it highly affects young people aged 15-24, and in Ethiopia most University students are in the aforementioned age range. On top of the age range while university campuses constitute a potentially fertile breeding ground for HIV/AIDS because they bring sexually active young people together (in close physical proximity they are also void of systematic supervision for these sexually active young people. Thus, dealing with this section of a society is an excellent strategy to slowdown the spread of the pandemic. In view of this, the main purpose of this research is to assess University students’ sexual behaviours and their perception of susceptibility of HIV/AIDS. In order to achieve this objective, institution based cross-sectional study with both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Samples of students for the study were selected using stratified sampling; where colleges/faculties were used as stratification factor. Questionnaire and focus group discussion were used to collect data from students. Interview was conducted with a University official. A total of 409 students were included in the study for of which 242(59.2%) and 167 (40.8%) were males and females respectively. The result revealed that 236 (59%) of the students were sexually active, of these 37.28% were inconsistent condom users, 10.59% had sex for money and gift, 27.97% had two or more sexual partners and 5% had sexual intercourse with commercial sex workers. About 24.2% of those who had sex in the past perceived that they were at risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS. Variables such as being tested for HIV (AOR = 4.989, 95% CI = (2.970, 8.381)), risk susceptibility (AOR = 2.555, 95% CI = (1.385, 4.713)) and money and gift (AOR = 4.507 95% CI = (1.623, 12.518)) were found to be significantly associated with sexual behaviours of students. From the result it can be concluded that more than half of the students were sexually active. Students were experiencing unsafe sex. Means for money and gifts, risk susceptibility, and being tested for HIV were factors affecting sexual behaviours of students. Hence efforts should be done so as to expand health education, strengthening anti-HIV/AIDS clubs and VCT centers within the jurisdiction of universities to reverse risky sexual behaviours and illusion of invulnerability of students by concerned bodies such as governmental and non-governmental organizations that are working with the universities.