The assessment of HIV-related knowledge adequacy among senior school students reveals significant gaps and determinants affecting their awareness.
The prevalence of HIV among adolescents remains alarmingly high, and effective education is deemed necessary to mitigate this public health threat. A recent study conducted among 1,200 senior secondary school students from public schools in Abakaliki, Southeast Nigeria, brings to light the inadequacies of HIV-related knowledge and the determinants contributing to them.
Globally, 39.9 million individuals are living with HIV, with adolescents representing increasingly significant portions of new infections. Specifically, Nigeria houses approximately 1.9 million people living with HIV, making awareness and education pivotal within this demographic. The study aimed to assess the accuracy and comprehensiveness of HIV knowledge among adolescents and identify key factors influencing their awareness.
Conducted between December 2023 and May 2024, this cross-sectional observational study gleaned insights from senior school students who answered questions pertaining to HIV/AIDS. Researchers utilized structured self-administered questionnaires comprising ten targeted questions about HIV's meaning, transmission, prevention, and misconceptions.
Strikingly, the research revealed serious gaps: only 46% of surveyed students demonstrated adequate knowledge about HIV. This finding aligns with previous attempts to assess HIV awareness among Nigerian adolescents, underscoring similarities with earlier studies reporting low levels of comprehensive knowledge.
Background research highlights the urgency. With approximately 360,000 adolescents aged 15-24 newly infected with HIV annually, knowledge gaps are particularly grave. The Ministry of Education’s introduction of family life and HIV education curricula over two decades ago aimed at combating misinformation, yet the results indicate much work is still needed.
Among the respondents, only about 20% could accurately describe HIV, with some key questions showing glaring knowledge deficiencies. For example, only half of the students understood the implication of HIV-infected persons appearing healthy, and even fewer recognized the preventive role of antiretroviral therapy.
Statistical analyses revealed several determinants of adequate HIV knowledge: age, socioeconomic status of caregivers, and the source of information—primarily from schools. Notably, students whose caregivers earned less than ₦30,000 per month were more likely to exhibit adequate knowledge, defined by scoring 6 or above out of 10 on the questionnaire.
The implication of using schools as the primary source for HIV knowledge cannot be overstated. Over 80% of participants attested to learning about HIV primarily through their teachers. This potentially positions schools as pivotal environments for change and raising awareness among adolescents.
Despite some improvements, the overall findings reveal alarming levels of misinformation and substantial room for growth. Education system revisions are recommended to intensify the curriculum’s focus on HIV/AIDS awareness, ensuring adolescents receive thorough, accurate information.
Conclusively, the study emphasizes the need for immediate and decisive interventions to bolster HIV-related knowledge among adolescents. Improved educational strategies will play a significant role in reducing HIV transmission rates and improving health outcomes among Nigeria's youth. By addressing the discovered knowledge gaps, health authorities could spearhead progressive changes leading to the marked decline of HIV infections among adolescents by the year 2030.