Gender Difference in Risky Sexual Behaviour and Associated Factors among Undergraduate Students in Dambi Dollo University, Ethiopia:

Background: Youths, whether or not they are sexually active, have increased exposure to sexually transmitted infections including Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Methods: I used Institution based comparative cross-sectional study design. The data was collected using pretested structured self administered questionnaire. Five hundred seventy nine students received, properly filled and returned the questionnaire. Results: Life time risky sexual behaviour was higher in male compared to female, 181(54.8.0%) and 54(21.7%) respectively. Respondents with age less than 20 years old were less likely to have life time risky sexual behaviour. Male students were 3.5 times more likely to practice life time risky sexual behaviour compared to female. The likelihood of students ever visited night clubs to practice life time risky sexual behaviour compared to non visitors was high. The odds of the students who ever drunk and ever chewed Kchat to commit life time risky sexual behaviour were more than those who never did for chewing and for alcohol. Ever watching romantic films increased the odds of lifetime risky sexual behaviour by compared to those who did not. Students ever attended sexual and reproductive health education tends to have more odds of lifetime risky sexual behaviour. Conclusion: Life time risky sexual behaviour was common in this study. Significant gender difference was observed with higher risk in male respondents compared to female. Specific Strategies that address and promote safe sexual and reproductive health should be identified and implemented. The finding from this study provided insight to gender differences in risky sexual behaviours and associated factors that lead to the development of gender based strategies to combat the development of HIV/IDS, STIs and other reproductive health related problems among adolescents and youths.