Modeling Risky Sexual Behaviors among Out-of-school Youth

Abstract

Out-of-school youth, are at the heart of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and it is important that the government and its development partners develop responsive and evidence based prevention programs to fight the spread of the epidemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that pre-dispose out-of-school youth to risky sexual behaviors and therefore put them at risk of unwanted pregnancies and infection with STI and even HIV/AIDS. The study used secondary data collected in the APHIA II Behavioral Monitoring Survey conducted in 2007 in the Coast and Rift Valley provinces in Kenya. A total 1,063 (625 male; and 438 female) out-of-school youth aged between 15 - 24 years were selected from popular youth hangout places. Risky sexual behavior which was the main outcome variable as determined by respondents who engaged unprotected sex, or had multiple sexual partners, or had sex in exchange for money of a gift was modeled using logistic regression model with a set of possible predictor variables. Results from the study showed that alcohol consumption, use of substances such as cigarettes and miraa/khat, having a source of income and knowledge of HIV prevention as risk factors among the out-of-school youth. Location, sex, age, religion and education level were not statistically significant in the model. The tests were considered significant at the 0.05 level and are consistent with some research studies that have shown alcohol and substance use as the risk factors associated with risky sexual behavior among out-of-school ¥outh.