Sexual and Reproductive Health Behaviors among Ethiopian University Students: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: There is a wide variation among societies in profiles of adolescent and youth health and behaviours, however they all experience sexual and reproductive health as a major health challenge. However, adolescents and youths in middle-and low-income countries like Ethiopia are of a particular concern where limited social, educational and health services leads to poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes such as unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion and sexually transmitted infections including Immune Deficiency Virus. Identify and synthesis the available evidence on sexual and reproductive health of university students in Ethiopia has a paramount importance to inform policy makers, governmental and non-governmental organizations, to tailor health services in Higher Educational Institutions and to understand evidence gaps. Thus, we did a descriptive systematic review of available published information on sexual and reproductive health among Ethiopian university students. Method: We performed a systematic review to collect and analyze observational data on sexual and reproductive health behaviours among Ethiopian university students. Publications were identified using PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar databases and manual search from 2015 to December 2023. We defined a protocol to identify relevant studies. We included original observational studies conducted in Ethiopia among university students, both qualitative and quantitative studies and that consider at list one of the following elements: sexual activity, condom use, multiple sexual partners, contraceptive use, family planning use, sexual transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, sexual and reproductive health knowledge, early sexual debut, risky sexual behavior. All include article were coded according to relevant outcomes and experiences and subsequently analyzed to assess frequencies. Result: After screening for inclusion criteria 15 publications were include in the datasheet developed to record the findings. Surprisingly all 15 studies reported that university students are sexually active with high prevalence of having multiple sexual partners and limited use of sexual and reproductive health services such as condom use and family planning /contraceptive use. Unwanted pregnancy, abortion, STIs infections, early sexual debut and premarital sex were frequently reported. Only two studies reported transactional sex. Conclusion: Adolescents and youths enrolled at Ethiopian Public Universities engage in risky sexual behaviours and experience its adverse consequences. It is essential to collect more evidence, but the available information supports a need for improving provision of sexual and reproductive health services, among Ethiopian university students. Youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services should be avail in Higher Education Institutions.