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

West Afr J Med . 2023 May 27;40(5):495-503.

Abstract

Abstract  in English, French

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.

Keywords: Adolescents; HIV/AIDS; Nigeria; Young Persons; Youths.

A Idowu ¹, Y T Olasinde ², O R Akande ³, O K Israel ³, M I Akanbi ¹, E Ogum ⁴, O V Ajeleti ¹, P E Christopher ¹, O V Fajembimo ¹, A J Owolabi ¹