1Senior Lecturer and Campus Program Coordinator, Department of Psychology, School of Health and Education, Middlesex University, Dubai, UAE
2Associate Professor and Dean, Department of Pharmacy, Asmara College of Health Sciences, Asmara, Eritrea.
3Postgraduate Student, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
4Postgraduate Student, Department of Pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard Deemed University, Delhi, India
*Email id: a.kashi@mdx.ac
**Email id: aziebog@yahoo.com
***Email id: eyacobt@yahoo.com
***Email id: henokie363@yahoo.com
Online published on 23 April, 2014.
Background: Knowledge and attitude towards human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been reported to be important for behavioural change as a preventive strategy among youths. Assessing these psychological constructs and observing effectiveness of educational prevention programme provides a significant contribution to the field of the study.
Aims: This study aimed at assessing the relationship among knowledge, attitude towards HIV/AIDS, confidence in sexual practice and sexual behavioural change and, further, to investigate significant differences among these constructs by demographic groups.
Material and methods: This cross-sectional correlation and mean difference study used an opportunistic sample of 294 students of the Asmara College of Health Science, Eritrea. Responses on five standardised scales (knowledge, attitude, sexual behavioural change, confidence in sexual practice and demographic form) were analysed using Pearson ‘r’, linear regression and independent-sample t-tests.
Results: Sexual behavioural change was significantly positively correlated with knowledge (r=0.19) and confidence in sexual practice (r=0.50). Knowledge and confidence in sexual practices explained 26.5% of the variance in sexual behavioural change. A significant difference was found between those who were and were not sexually active in their sexual behavioural change as t (110.48)=6.187, P<0.0125; confidence in sexual practice as t (290)=5.550, P<0.0125; and in the knowledge of those who have and do not have personal acquaintances with AIDS patients as t (292)=2.662, P<0.0125.
Conclusion: Knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS and use of preventive strategies as well as knowing someone with HIV/AIDS increased the level of knowledge and played an important role in changing the sexual behaviour.
AIDS, Attitude, College students, Knowledge, Sexual behaviour change
