AIDS-Related Beliefs and Behaviours of Students: Evidence from Two Countries (Zimbabwe and Nigeria)

A survey administered to university students from Zimbabwe and Nigeria underscored the importance of educational programming that extends beyond the mere provision of knowledge about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) to provide adolescents with the interpersonal skills needed to reduce the risk of AIDS transmission.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Knowledge of belief and behaviour towards AIDS were assessed in a random sample of over 1400 University students aged 17 and over in Zimbabwe and Nigeria. The majority of the students engaged in a number of sexual practices despite being aware of the dangers of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Data indicated that there were no significant differences in the knowledge of AIDS across countries or between sexes. The determinants of knowledge of AIDS are related more strongly to attitudinal and behavioural variables than to demographic ones, and when comparing the two cultures, there are few differences in accuracy of AIDS/HIV knowledge across the practicing at risk behaviours. However, the strategy of asking partners about sexual history, IV drug use and blood transfusions is endorsed slightly more by the female populations in both samples. The most common source of information on safer sex reported in the two populations was the television. These data suggest the need for further exploring process factors that influence risk behaviour decision making, and for prevention models derived from psychological research in these areas.