Land C; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).
Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. TuOrD1217.
Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, United States
Background: Available data on adolescent reproductive and sexual health in Ethiopia paints a daunting picture of HIV risk, including early sexual initiation, multiple partners, intergenerational sex, and low condom use. The present study examines the association between risk and/or protective factors and sexual risk behaviors among youth in the Oromiya region of Ethiopia, and the applicability of an explanatory model of adolescent problem behavior to the Ethiopian context. Methods: Structured interviews investigating a large number of risk and protective factors operating at the individual, family, school, community and societal levels were conducted with 3,391 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 24 (mean age=17.2) in selected households which contained one or more adolescents in a multi-stage cluster sample of enumeration areas in four woredas in the Oromiya region of Ethiopia. In addition, 24 focus group discussions (FGDs) were held among 193 in-school and out-of-school adolescents from all four woredas. Results: Despite relatively high levels of STD and HIV/AIDS knowledge, many Ethiopian adolescents continue to engage in sexual risk behaviors. Low academic achievement and parental communication were among the most reliable factors contributing to sexual risk behaviors, while individual and family-level protective factors appear to moderate the impact of risk. Focus group discussions among in- and out-of-school adolescents provide further evidence of the general applicability of the explanatory model to the Ethiopian context, and contribute the additional constructs of traditional values, gender inequality, and severe poverty. Conclusions: The explanatory model of adolescent problem behavior employed in this study was found to be generally applicable to the Ethiopian context, while the additional dimension of qualitative research to aid in the construction of culturally meaningful youth-defined risk and protective factors greatly enhances the interpretation of study findings, and may act as a guide for contextually relevant programmatic approaches.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Adolescent
- Adolescent Behavior
- Adolescent Psychology
- Communication
- Ethiopia
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Risk Factors
- Risk-Taking
- Sexual Behavior
Other ID:
UI: 102282094
From Meeting Abstracts