Adolescence is a bridge between childhood and adulthood. It is a time of developing new behaviors in adolescents to make the future productive force of the nation. It is a period when the reproductive system starts functioning as adult individuals; therefore, it is a critical time and requires great attention to avert the problems related to the onset of adolescence 1β3.
Due to the lack of comprehensive reproductive health knowledge, adolescents and young people are exposed to the poor consequences of reproductive health 4. In most cases, the sexual relations of this population are unprotected. Globally, out of six pregnancies, one case is an adolescent pregnancy that results in a greater risk of complications both for newborn and mother 6. The poor outcomes of reproductive health are common in developing countries.
For instance, in eastern and southern Africa, adolescents and young people are highly affected by HIV. Furthermore, young women are more susceptible to HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa where risky sexual behaviors are prevalent.
The countries in this area did not demonstrate good progress in halting the major predisposing factors of HIV and other STIs. For instance, in sub-Saharan Africa, the trend of using a condom is decreasing, and the number of sexual partners is increasing 9. For example, the results of a study in Cambodia showed that A study performed at Jimma University in Jimma, Ethiopia, demonstrated that three-fourths of students had the experience of sexual intercourse during high school In different parts of Ethiopia, a number of studies were conducted on the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors, the majority of which were descriptive 5, 12β In addition, almost all of the aforementioned studies did not address the consequences of risky sexual behaviors.
Therefore, the assessment of risky sexual behaviors, associated factors, and consequences are important in this specific study domain in order to take appropriate measures.
