Knowledge, attitudes and practices of young high school students in Niono on STI / HIV / AIDS

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to study the knowledge, attitudes and practices of young high school students in Niono regarding STI and HIV-AIDS.

Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 369 students from the MICHEL ALLAIRE high school and the Public high school. The study took place from April 2016 to March 2017. The sample was random and the interview in face-to-face mode. The data was analyzed on SPSS 20.0.

Results: The mean age was 17.62 years ± 1.8 years. Male was more frequent with 56%. The majority had heard of STIs, HIV and AIDS (95.90%), much more during chats (43.9%). About 42% and 46% knew no signs of STIs or HIV infection. Sex was cited by 32% as a route of transmission. The majority (74%) knew that multiple partnerships increased the risk of these diseases. The condom was the most cited means of prevention with 44.2%. Almost 63% said that they accepted voluntary testing. A quarter said they had taken the test and 35.2% already had sexual contact, including 18.5% between 12 and 14 years old. Curiosity was the reason cited by 68.5%. Among those in sexual activity, 45.4% did not use a condom during the first sexual intercourse.

Conclusion: This study shows a good knowledge of the students about the existence of STIs, HIV and AIDS, despite some disparities with their sexual attitudes and practices