Risky sexual behavior and its associated factors among employees in industrial park, Northeast, Ethiopia   – Nature.Com 04:12 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2025) Cite this article

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Abstract

Risky sexual behavior is a workplace concern that particularly affects young adults in the working-age grou Among factory employees, it poses challenges for both private and government sectors, hindering progress toward sustainable development. This study aimed to assess risky sexual behavior and its associated factors among employees in industrial parks in Northeast Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 participants using a systematic sampling technique. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.2 and exported to STATA version 16 for analysis. Model fitness was assessed using the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, with a p-value > 0.05 indicating a good fit. Variables with a p-value < 0.2 in the bivariate analysis were included in the multivariable logistic regression model, and associations with a p-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The prevalence of risky sexual behavior among industrial park employees was 24.4%(95% CI of 20.8–28.3). Prior residence (AOR = 3.53; 95% CI: 1.51–8.27), alcohol consumption (AOR = 3.41; 95% CI: 1.10–10.58), watching pornography (AOR = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.07–8.49), peer pressure (AOR = 5.83; 95% CI: 1.30–26.14), and being 21–24 years old (AOR = 4.93; 95% CI: 1.10–22.13) were significantly associated with risky sexual behavior. Nearly one-fourth of the participants engaged in risky sexual activity, indicating a high level of risky practices within industrial park settings. Therefore, there is an urgent need for targeted sexual and reproductive health interventions, including awareness programs, improved access to preventive services, and the promotion of safe sexual practices among industrial park employees.

Data availability

The data sets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge administrative officials to allow us to conduct this project on their employees. We extend our special thanks to all data collectors and respondents.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Adult Health Nursing, Asrat Woldeyes Health Science Campus, Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, EthiopiaYihenew Sewale Bizu
  2. Department of Pharmacy, Asrat Woldeyes Health Science Campus, Debre Berhan University, Debre Birhan, EthiopiaKassahun Dires Ayenew

Contributions

YSB: Conception of a research protocol, literature review, study design, data analysis, interpretation, and drafting of the manuscript. YSB and KDA were done the data analysis, interpretation, and manuscript review and draft the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yihenew Sewale Bizu.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical consideration

Ethical clearance for this study was obtained from Debre Berhan University, Asrat Weldeyes Health Science Campus Institutional Review Board (IRB). Permission was also secured from the management of Industrial Park before data collection. The study was conducted in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was also obtained from each participant prior to participation.

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Bizu, Y.S., Ayenew, K.D. Risky sexual behavior and its associated factors among employees in industrial park, Northeast, Ethiopia. Sci Rep (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-28166-4

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