Abstract

Background The question of sexual and reproductive health among the young generation remains one of the primary concerns to the health sectors of the regions in sub-Saharan Africa. It is this group that experiences biological, psychological, and social change that makes them highly susceptible to Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancies. It is the combination of these and other related problems that tends to make the young generation highly vulnerable: to early first sex, inadequate sex education, stigma attached to preventive practices, and inequitable distribution and access to preventive measures, which are mostly embodied by the use of condoms. Yet, the frequency of the use and the prevalence rate of the use of the condom remains paradoxically low among the highly vulnerable: This becomes even more important in a university setting since younger individuals are at an age where they are discovering their autonomy and are still exploring their sexuality. Despite condom effectiveness in inhibiting STIs, HIV/AIDS, and unplanned pregnancy, various obstacles exist that continue to interfere with consistent condom use. In this respect, it is necessary to identify determinants for condom use (or abstinence from using condoms) in order to adapt preventive policies to socio-cultural circumstances encountered by young generations in sub-Saharan Africa and especially in Burundi. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive and analytical research was conducted in April 2025 at the University of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi. The target population consisted of 196 students who were chosen using non-probability convenience sampling because there was no nominative database available. Primarily, it was important to establish sociodemographic, sociocultural, behavioral, and cognitive variables contributing to the usage of condoms by university students. Participants responded to the questionnaire on sexual behavior, attitudes, and knowledge on sexual and reproductive health. The data was entered and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. The statistical tests conducted used bivariate tests, analyzing odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) of 95%, evaluating the strength and significance of relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The cut off for statistical significance was set at p-value \(<\) 0.05 Results: “Condom use prevalence was 44.4%. Important determinants were:”

• Place of upbringing (OR = 4.136; p \(<\) 0.001)
• Shame in buying condoms (OR = 3.009; p \(<\) 0.001)
• Knowledge of condom benefits (OR = 5.856; p \(<\) 0.001)
• Knowing someone who died from AIDS (OR = 4.741; p \(<\) 0.001.

Conclusion: There has been a need for improvement in the area of sexual health, learning, and communication. This is especially true for the purpose of overcoming the taboo that exists.