The Use of Social Media and Risky Sexual Behaviour among Students in the University of Ghana, Legon Campus

Abstract

Introduction: Behaviours established during youthful and early adult life such as risky sexual behaviours (RSBs) have undesirable effects on the future wellbeing and overall health of adolescents and young adults. Engaging in risky sexual behaviours such as early sexual initiation, multiple partner sexual relationships, unprotected sex, and sex in exchange of money or gifts often lead to undesirable consequences such as contracting sexually transmitted diseases or having unintended pregnancies. Social media use in recent times has evolved to become an integral part of the lives of the youth. It has been found to influence the sexual behaviour of youth in developed countries. To better understand the risky sexual behaviour of youth in Ghana, it is imperative to explore the relationship between social media use and risky sexual behaviour in order to develop programs and initiatives aimed at mitigating this problem and its associated consequences among the youth of Ghana. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide information on social media use among students of the University of Ghana and correlates with risky sexual behaviour. Method: This was a cross-sectional analytical study among 422 university students between the ages of 15 and 29 years selected from Hostels within the University of Ghana using the multistage cluster sampling method. A structured self-administered questionnaire adapted from validated questionnaires from previous studies was used as a tool in the study. A univariate analysis was performed on relevant variables and bivariate analysis also performed on the main outcome variables of interest to determine associations between the dependent variable (Sexual behaviour) with the independent variable (social media use) controlling for potential confounders. Results: Of all students sampled in this study, almost all (98.8%) owned a smart device capable of accessing social media. More than half of students engage in high use of social media. Of all social media users, the top five applications used were WhatsApp (406/422, 96.2%), Instagram (334/422, 79.1%), Facebook (298/422, 70.6%), Snapchat (285/422, 67.5%) and Twitter (256/422, 60.7%). While Tinder was only used by 20% of participants, it was noted to expose students to sexually explicit media. The results also show that 33.4% of students were involved in risky sexual behaviour with males, twice as likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour compared to females (AOR: 1.9; CI 1.13.1). This study also showed a higher affinity of students aged 2529 years towards engaging in risky sexual behaviour (AOR: 8.3; CI 1.642.5). Students embedded in the use of relatively new social media applications such as Tinder (AOR: 6.0; CI 1.425.9) and students engaged in sexting (AOR: 4.4; CI 2.6- 7.5) were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour. Those who either posted or received videos on social media and those who use social media to meet the opposite sex were likely to be exposed to risky sexual behaviour than those who do not. Parental guidance of fathers was found protective of risky sexual behaviour (AOR: 1.9; CI 1.0 3.6). Conclusion: Sex of students and age had an association with risky sexual behaviour among university of Ghana students with male students being twice more likely to be involved in RSB compared to their female counterparts. Parental involvement was indicative of reduced risky sexual behaviour. Keywords: Risky Sexual Behaviour, Social Media, Sexually Explicit Materials