Physical fighting among adolescents in eastern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Physical fights have been a common health problem among adolescents, and approximately a million adolescents' lives are lost due to violence-related incidents worldwide. There is a lack of information on the burden of adolescents' physical fights in eastern Ethiopia. Hence, the study aims to estimate the magnitude and assess factors associated with physical attacks and fighting among adolescents in eastern Ethiopia.

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 2424 adolescents in eastern Ethiopia in 2016. Simple random sampling was used to recruit study participants. Data were collected by trained interviewers using a structured questionnaire developed by the Africa Research, Implementation Science and Education (ARISE) network and adapted from the World Health Organization Global school-based student health survey. Descriptive statistics, binary and multivariable logistic regression were performed. Statistical associations were determined using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CIs) and P-value < 0.05.

Prevalence of physical attacks and physical fights was 5.8%, and 26.4%, respectively. Adolescents who attended school (AOR 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.9) and who chewed Khat (AOR 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.8) were less likely to experience physical attacks. Male adolescents were two times more likely to engage in physical fights than female adolescents (AOR 2.4, 95% CI: 1.8-3.2). In-school adolescents who attended secondary (AOR 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.7) or tertiary level of education (AOR 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.7) were less likely to participate in physical fighting than those with primary level education. Adolescents who had ever engaged in physical work to earn money for food or drink were 1.9 times more likely to be physically attacked compared to those who had not (AOR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.0-3.5).

Physical attacks and fights were found to be common experiences of adolescents in eastern Ethiopia. Future research and programs should emphasize preventive health programs for reducing violence and promoting school enrolment and retention.