ORIGINAL ARTICLES HIV Knowledge and Screening Practices among In-School Adolescents in a Semi-Urban Community of Osun State, Southwest Nigeria

Idowu, A.B and Olasinde, Y.T. and Akande, O.R. and Israel, O.K and Akanbi, M. I. and Ogum, E and Ajeleti, O.V. and Christopher, P.E. and Fajembimo, O.V. and Owolabi, A.J. (2023) ORIGINAL ARTICLES HIV Knowledge and Screening Practices among In-School Adolescents in a Semi-Urban Community of Osun State, Southwest Nigeria. West Africa Journal of Medicine, 40 (5). pp. 495-503.

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Abstract

Background: Adolescents and youths are currently one of the main sub-populations responsible for most Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) new cases in Nigeria due to their high-risk sexual practices. Yet, most Nigerian adolescents have poor HIV knowledge and are not aware of their HIV status. Study objectives: We assessed respondents' HIV knowledge, their attitude to screening, testing practice and identified predictors of HIV screening among youths (15-24 years old) in Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria. Methods: Cross-sectional design was employed and a multistage sampling method was used to recruit 360 eligible schooling youths in three secondary schools (private and public coeducational schools). A semi-structured, interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out at p<0.05. Results: Mean age (±SD) of the respondents was 15±4.71 years. The majority (75.6%) of the respondents had heard about HIV. Overall, only 57.6% of respondents possessed a comprehensive knowledge of HIV but a majority (80.6%) of them had a positive attitude to HIV screening. Only 20.6% of the respondents had ever screened for HIV, 70.0% of them had pre-and post-test counselling. The most prevalent reason for non-screening is fear of getting a positive result (48.3%). Predictors of HIV screening uptakes included respondents' age (AOR = 2.95; 95%CI = 2.25-6.01), school type (AOR = 2.9;95%CI = 1.99-11.25), class level (AOR = 3.21;95% CI = 2.13-8.12) and attitude to screening (AOR = 2.51;95% CI = 2.01- 6.39). Conclusion: Despite a high awareness rate and overwhelming positive attitude, HIV screening practice was low in the study setting. There is a need for health policymakers to further prioritise adolescents and youths in the race to end HIV epidemics in Nigeria.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Adolescents; HIV/AIDS; Nigeria; Young Persons; Youths.
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QC Physics
Divisions:	Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics > School of Physics
Depositing User:	ORIGBOEYEGHA
Date Deposited:	21 Aug 2024 13:11
Last Modified:	21 Aug 2024 13:11
URI:	http://eprints.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/id/eprint/18379

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