BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young people are vulnerable to sexual risk behaviour (SRB), leading to several negative outcomes, including unwanted pregnancies, susceptibility to Sexually Transmitted Infections as well as HIV/AIDS. The situation of these vices in school did not seem to improve despite the teaching of age-appropriate Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in both primary and secondary schools.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the prevalence of risky sexual behaviour among adolescents and young adults in a Nigerian higher institution.

METHODS: The study used cross-sectional data collected through a survey conducted at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, among undergraduate students (712). Pearson Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used for the analyses.

RESULTS: Two out of every seven undergraduates were involved in SRB, with older adolescents being 6 times more active than the younger ones. Parents’ socioeconomic status - household wealth index, educational level and age were all determinants of adolescents’ and young people’s activeness in SRB. Additionally, while one-third reported being influenced by their friends, a quarter of the respondents did not use contraceptives and about 8% had multiple sex partners.

CONCLUSION: Among university students, older students, those with higher study level, peer influence, and increased household wealth index were associated with increased odds of risky sexual behaviours than their respective counterparts. There is a need for a CSE in higher education institutions and the creation of youth-friendly centres on campuses, among other initiatives

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