“Over my Dead Body”: Knowledge and Attitude of Children towards HIV and AIDS in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana

Abstract

In Ghana, it was estimated in 2013 that some 34,557 children were living with HIV and AIDS. Researches on children’s perception of risk, knowledge and support services for infected persons have been rarely undertaken. This paper is based on responses obtained from 120 in-school children aged 9-13 years drawn from three schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana. The respondents provided qualitative data through essays and quantitative data through questionnaires. All the respondents have had some knowledge on HIV and AIDS and knew of where to access HIV and AIDS information. More than seventy per cent of them were not willing to purchase fresh vegetables from AIDS vendors nor were willing to allow AIDS infected female teachers to continue teaching them. It was recommended that children should be targeted with behavioural change communication messages especially by teachers to enable them live harmoniously with people infected and affected with AIDS. 

Keywords: Children, perception, HIV and AIDS, Cape Coast, Ghana