In developing countries risky sexual behaviour among young people is on the increase.
This study examined the likelihood of HIV counselling and testing (HCT) in reducing risky sexual
behaviour among undergraduates in Lagos Metropolis in Nigeria. The main hypothesis tested in the
study was the uptake of HCT is likely to reduce risky sexual behaviour among young
undergraduates. A multistage sampling procedure was adopted to select a sample of 625
undergraduates in the study setting. A structured questionnaire was administered to respondents to
elicit information on previous participation in HCT and sexual behaviour before and after
participation. Result indicates that 26.1% of males and 28.9% of females ever participated in HCT.
The average number of heterosexual partners kept by the respondents declined among males and
females from 3.17 and 2.36, respectively before they participated in HCT to 2.27 and 1.6 after they
participated in HCT. The differences in the average number of sexual partners by the respondents
before and after they participated in HCT were statistically significant (P=0.000). The proportion of
male respondents who engaged in frequent sex also declined from 35.8% (before participating in
HCT) to 24.1% (after participating in HCT) and from 25% (before participating in HCT) to 24.7%
(after participating in HCT) among females. In conclusion, participation in HCT is likely to reduce
the prevalence of risky sexual behaviour among undergraduates in the study setting. Therefore,
HCT is an intervention that should be emphasized.