Unprotected sexual practice and associated factors among People Living with HIV at Ante Retroviral Therapy clinics in Debrezeit Town, Ethiopia: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Magnitude of unprotected sexual practice among PLHIV is generally high in African countries including Ethiopia. Understanding the practice in Ethiopia could have public health significance. However little is known about the issue of unprotected sexual practice among PLHIV in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was aimed to assess unprotected sexual practice and associated factors among PLHIV at ART clinics in Debrezeit town. METHOD: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 667 PLHIV were included in the study. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants. Analyses were done using SPSS for windows version 15. A crude and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to measure association between different factors and unprotected sex. RESULT: The prevalence of unprotected sexual practice among PLHIV was 22.2% [95% CI: (19.0-25.4)]. Factors associated with unprotected sexual practice include: being female (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI (1.1, 3.9)), being divorced/widowed/separated (AOR = 4.9, 95% CI (2.1, 11.6)), length of stay with the current partner for ≥ 49 months (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI (1.9, 5.7)) and not discussing or partly discussing about safe sex and condom use with sexual partner (AOR = 17.1, 95% CI (8.9, 32.8)). CONCLUSION: High proportions of PLHIV were found to engage in unprotected sex. Information Education and Communication (IEC) on safe sex for PLHIV should target females, those who stayed longer with their partner and divorced/widowed/separate ones.