HIV: Knowledge on modes of transmission and attitude towards Voluntary Couselling and Testing (VCT) amongst Nigerian undergraduates

Abstract

The study investigated knowledge on mode of transmission of HIV and attitude toward voluntary counseling and Testing (VCT) amongst Nigerian undergraduates. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey containing questions on HIV transmission, condom use, sexual practices and VCT on HIV were administered to 1,200 randomly selected students from three tertiary institutions in southern Nigeria. In this study 405(88.8%) of males use condom while 51(21.1%) of males are involved in sexual activity without the use of condom. For their female counterpart 256(76.12%) of females had sex with condom, while 81(23.89%) are involved in sexual activity without the use of condom. There was a significant difference between condom use initiators in males and females; p<0.05. The study revealed that 345(59.9%) males had not gone for voluntary counseling and testing, 297(86.09%) were sexually active, while 48(13.91%) were sexually inactive. Out of the 345(62.5%) females who had not gone for voluntary counseling and testing,  288 (83.48%)  were sexually active while 57(16.52%) were sexually inactive. there was no significant difference p< 0.05  between sexually active males that have gone for voluntary counseling and testing and sexually active females that have gone for voluntary counseling and testing. In this study the major reason while males do not go for voluntary counseling and testing was because of the anticipated suicidal inclination in case of a positive result. Conversely the females do not go for voluntary counseling and testing mainly because they feel it will cost them a lot of money to do the test.