HIV/AIDS Awareness of In—School Adolescents in Nigeria: Implications for Adolescence Sexuality

Abstract

This study investigated HIV/AIDS awareness of in-school adolescents in Nigeria to determine their risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. A total of 892 purposively selected adolescents (mean age = 16. 5 years; SD = 5. 2; males = 492; females = 400) participated in the study. The participants responded to the HIV/AIDS Awareness Inventory (HAAI). The questions on the survey included the following aspects: meaning of HIV/AIDS; prevalence; mode of transmission; consequences and prevention. Differences in gender, age, school location and fatherʼs educational background in understanding HIV risk were examined. A group means comparison procedure revealed a significant difference in HIV awareness by gender, age, school location and fatherʼs educational background. Female adolescents, the older adolescents, those living in urban centres and those whose fathers are literate had higher HIV/AIDS awareness than their counterparts from rural areas. Nigerian adolescents need education regarding HIV/AIDS awareness.

The Challenges of HIV/AIDS Counselling in Nigerian Secondary Schools: A Case Study of Kwara State

“…This could be due to the fact that HIV/AIDS enlightening programs, through the mass and electronics media are more prominent in urban areas than in rural areas. This finding is related to an earlier study by Esere (2006) which indicated that HIV/AIDS awareness is lower among rural teenagers than their urban colleagues. However, the study by Ugwuegbulem (2001) indicated that geographical location had no significant in-…”

A Bayesian semiparametric multilevel survival modelling of age at first birth in Nigeria

“…It was assumed that such information might encourage promiscuity among adolescents rather than helping them to reduce the consequences of unprotected sex. Matters relating to sex and sexuality are usually shrouded with secrecy, so that adolescent youths find it difficult to access needed information in this regard (Esere 2006(Esere , 2008. Similarly, in the Nigerian context, the head of a household is often a male adult irrespective of whether he is the bread-winner or not.…”

Pattern of Condom Usage among Male and Female Youths in Nigeria from 1999 to 2008

“…Despite increased sexual knowledge, adolescents in Nigeria are poor contraceptive users [14]. They are less likely than adults to consistently use condoms or other modern methods of contraceptives that could reduce their chances of infection [4].…”