AIDS related knowledge and behaviours among college students, Gondar, Ethiopia: a comparative study
Teka, T.
Ethiopian Medical Journal 35(3): 185-190
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0014-1755 PMID: 9558757 Document Number: 273913
Results of identical surveys administered to 164 students before their admission (1990 survey) to the Gondar College of Medical Sciences in Ethiopia and the 103 of these students who completed their second year at the school (1992 survey) were compared to investigate trends in AIDS-related knowledge and practices. The proportion of students aware that AIDS can be prevented by condom use increased from 69% in 1990 to 84% in 1992, and the percentage who considered themselves knowledgeable about current methods of AIDS prevention rose from 62% to 80%. In terms of sexual behavior, only 24% of students who were sexually active in 1990 used condoms at most recent sexual intercourse compared with 33% in 1992. The proportion whose most recent sexual partner was from a high-risk group (i.e., prostitutes) decreased from 47% in 1990 to 34% in 1992. These changes occurred in the absence of a sex education or AIDS prevention program at the university. There was no association between AIDS knowledge and condom use in either survey. The gap between Ethiopian students' knowledge of the protective effect of condom use and their actual use of condoms requires an extensive health education campaign, including peer education.