HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS KNOWLEDGE, STATUS AWARENESS, AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE IN IBADAN, NIGERIA
Abstract
Introduction: Worldwide, young people account for the highest proportion of new Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, yet the uptake of testing and status awareness among this cohort is suboptimal. The lifestyles of students on university campuses put them at risk of contracting HIV, and the spread of HIV among the reproductive age is a major health concern in Nigeria. Aim of the study: The study aims to assess knowledge of HIV/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), HIV status awareness, and associated factors among undergraduates of selected tertiary institutions in Ibadan. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design in which three hundred and fifty-six (356) students were randomly selected for the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection among undergraduates of selected tertiary institutions in Ibadan. Data were analyzed using SPSS, including frequency, percentage, and chi-square test, at a 0.05 significance level. Results: This study showed that 78% of the participants have good knowledge of HIV/AIDS, only 42.7% of them were aware of their HIV status, and 74.7 % of them have never been tested. This study revealed that 82% of the participants perceived themselves to be at low risk for HIV, resulting in reduced motivation to seek HIV testing. There was a significant association between the age and gender of the respondents and HIV status awareness (p= 0.000; p= 0.010). There was also a significant association between their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and their status awareness (p= 0.003). Conclusion: Many young people know about HIV/AIDS, however, the majority of them have never been tested. Hence, only a few are aware of their status. Therefore, there should be collaborative efforts between healthcare providers, educators, and policymakers to create supportive environments to improve access to HIV testing services.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejphs.v7i3.199
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