TITLE:
HIV/AIDS-Related Knowledge among Secondary School Students in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study
AUTHORS:
Md. Nazmul Huda, Dr. Asm Amanullah
KEYWORDS:
HIV/AIDS; Knowledge; Secondary School Students; Socio-Demographic Factors
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Infectious Diseases,
Vol.3 No.4,
December
17,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Background and Aim of the Study: HIV/AIDS is best viewed as a major
epidemic which poses serious challenges to mankind on a global scale. The aim
of this study was to assess the HIV/AIDS-related knowledge among secondary
school students in Bangladesh and investigate the association between secondary
school students’ socio-demographic characteristics and their level of knowledge
about HIV/AIDS. Methods: Following multistage random sampling
technique, a total of 384
students aged 11-17 years were sampled from eight secondary schools and
interviewed through a predesigned semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done at three stages
including descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The findings of the study revealed that more than
half (55.26%) of the students
were above 14 years of age and their ages ranged from 11 to 17 years. This
study also found that around three-fourths of the students (75.78%) watched
television. With regard to knowledge, this
study demonstrated that around two-fifths of the students (36.98%) had very
good knowledge about HIV/AIDS and their main sources of HIV/AIDS information
were television, newspaper, radio, textbooks, and teachers. The bivariate
results of the study indicated that students’ age, gender, type of school, household
income, fathers’ and
mothers’ literacy, and watching television were significantly associated with
level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. In addition, students’ age, mothers’
literacy, and watching
television were found as the significant predictors of knowledge about
HIV/AIDS. Watching television was documented as the best single
predictor. Conclusion: The results of the study strengthen the
assumption that there is an influence of students’ socio-demographic
characteristics upon their knowledge about HIV/ AIDS. Moreover, this study suggests that more information on HIV/AIDS
should be included in the textbooks of secondary school students in Bangladesh
to enhance their knowledge about the taboo subject.