Factors Associated With Risky Sexual Behaviour Amongst Students at a Training College in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract Background: Globally students who attend colleges indulge in risky sexual practices which in turn expose them to sexually transmitted infections. Risky sexual practices such as multiple sexual partners, unprotected sex, and transactional sex continue to pose risks of sexual transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy as well as increased termination of pregnancy amongst young people. Engaging in risky sexual behaviour is associated with various factors. Therefore, the reported study was aimed at describing the factors associated with risky sexual behaviour amongst students at a training college in South Africa. Methods: The study adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive design to describe factors associated with risky sexual behaviour amongst students. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire among 307 students who were random sampled. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.0 was used to analyse data. Results: Among the respondents, 70,7% were females and 29.3% were males. Majority of the respondents 51.2% were staying at a rental place and about 49% were depending on the National Financial Aids Scheme (NSFAS). Staying at alone at a rental place and depending on the NSFAS is associated to engaging in risky sexual behaviours. Conclusions: Environmental factors and socio-economic factors contribute to risky sexual behaviours among students at a training college in Limpopo. Intervention to address the contributing factors should be implemented to curb the burden of engaging in risky sexual behaviours.