Pattern of sexual practices contraceptive use among college students, in north Shoa, central Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia the number of young people going to college is steadily increasing. This predisposes them to risky sexual behaviour which leads to unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortions and HIV. This study has aimed to determine the patterns of sexual practice and contraceptives use and risk behaviours among those students in central Ethiopia. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was employed. Data on sexual practice, knowledge and contraceptive use were collected from 327 college students. The data were cleaned, entered and analysed using SPSS version 20. The results revealed that despite their knowledge of the methods of safe sex, there are still considerable misconceptions regarding the effectiveness of contraceptives, their side effects and their proper use. In terms of the sexual practice reported by the respondents, 142 (43.4%) practised sex and 110 (77.5%) of respondents had used contraceptives at least once. The age of the respondents, the number of years for which they stayed in college and their fields of study were significantly associated with their sexual practice. In conclusion, a significant number of college students practised sex without using contraceptives to prevent pregnancy, and a considerable number of their partners disapproved of the use of contraceptives