HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Behavior-Risk among Adolescents and Youths in Nigeria

What is it about?

This is a study to ascertain the HIV/AIDS Knowledge and behaviour-risk among in-school adolescents and youths in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Urban females showed higher knowledge. Conversely, males displayed higher behaviour risk. Highest behaviour risk was observed in age group 16-20 years. Schools in urban setting had higher behaviour risk than rural schools, while knowledge of HIV transmission was highest among the respondents.. Also 370 of 778 participants who ever had sex had used condom while of them were willing to abstain from sex till marriage. There is a strong need for appropriate regular and intensified HIV/AIDS risk reduction interventions to capture the attention of youths especially males, and to ensure sustainable and effective outcomes in secondary schools of Ebonyi state Nigeria.

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Why is it important?

Adolescents are at age where they have difficulty understanding complex concepts, or the relationship between behaviour and consequences, or the degree of control they have or can have over health decision-making, including that related to sexual behaviour. This difficulty may make them particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and high-risk behaviours for contracting HIV. Adolescence is typically a period of experimentation, new experiences, and vulnerability which influences their HIV risk behaviours. Such behaviours include experiment with injecting drugs, alcoholism, sexuality, and sexual orientation (men may begin to have unprotected sex with other men), unprotected sex for gain, and some are exploited sexually. Millions of adolescents who are becoming sexually active live in countries with a high burden of HIV.

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