This paper explores the prevalence of sexual risk behaviors for HIV among students in Nepal, and
investigates the factors that may influence such behaviors. A self-administered questionnaire was
completed by 1,276 (636 male and 640 female) students. A composite index of sexual risk behavior was
constructed. Associations between sexual risk behavior and explanatory variables were first assessed using
Chi-square tests, then further explored using multivariate logistic analysis (binary logistic regression). The
study found that sex of the student, marital status, level of education, alcohol consumption, exposure to
pornography and close unmarried friends’ sexual behavior are the main predictors of sexual risk behavior.
Male students were about three times more likely to be involved in sexual risk behavior than female
students. Unmarried students who received reproductive health (RH) education were less likely to be
engaged in sexual risk behavior than married students. On the other hand, students who consumed alcohol
frequently, who were exposed pornography and who had close unmarried friends with experience of sexual
intercourse were more likely to be engaged in sexual risk behavior for HIV than their comparison groups.
Students, especially male students, are exposed to health hazards through their sexual behavior. This
problem should be addressed early by targeting these groups of high-risk students.