| dc.description.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. | en |
