Assessment of Sexual behaviour, Attitude and Risk Perception about HIV/AIDS among out-of-school Anti-AIDS club member and non member youths, Mettu and Bedelle towns, Ilu-Abba-Bora Zone Western Ethiopia. A case control study
Creators: name: Legesse, Elias
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2010

description: Background: Young people today are at high risk behavior that could expose them to HIV/AIDS and other STIs and threatened by HIV/AIDS epidemic since they are sexually active at younger ages and low and/or inconsistent use condoms to ensure protection. Objective: To assess sexual behavior, attitudes and risk perception about HIV/AIDS among outof- school anti-AIDS club member and non member youths in Mettu and Bedelle towns. Methods: The study applied a case control study design in which the behavior difference between club member and non-club member groups examined. The cases are club members those registered in the out-of-school anti-AIDS club and actively participated for at least one year. Controls are non-club member who have never been registered and never became active member of any anti-AIDS club anywhere in the towns. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Focus Group Discussions was also conducted in the two groups to complement the quantitative findings. Results: From a total of 786 youths, 386 club member and 400 non-club member participated in the study. In this survey two third of the club members, (66.6%) &amp; one third of the non-club members, 33.2% reported to have practiced sexual intercourse in the past. Females were likely more to start sexual practice at age than males in both groups. Among cases 31.3% reported that they had two and more than two sexual partners over the past and 29.2% controls reported that they had more than two sexual partners. Forty five point nine percent of club members and 33.3%of non-club members had used condoms during the first time they had sexual intercourse. The majority (99.1%) of the study populations were aware of HIV/AIDS. Seventy two pointy five percent of club member and (54.7%) non-club members perceived that they are at risk or may be at risk of acquiring the HIV/AIDS. The majority (74.6%) of the club members, and 52% of the non-club member youths expressed their willingness to undergo VCT for HIV. The prevalence of multiple sexual partnerships over past year among both groups was 30.3% in the selected towns. FGD also supplements that both groups admitted that youths in the towns engaged in risky sexual behaviors such as unprotected sexual intercourse which is the main cause of the spread of HIV/AIDS in the both towns. Conclusion: The finding of the survey concluded both club member and non-club member outof- school youths in this study area were exercising high risky sexual activities like early sex, multiple sexual partners, and inconsistent use of condom. But, the percentage among club members was lower than non-club members. Being a club member is protective for HIV/AIDS related risky sexual behaviors, perception. So, it was recommended that IEC on sexual health should be given intensively by concerned bodies to make adolescents protect themselves from these behaviors.