Attitude towards mandatory pre-marital HIV testing among unmarried youths in Ibadan Northwest Local Government Area, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the attitude of unmarried youths towards Mandatory Premarital HIV Testing (MPHT) in Ibadan Northwest Local Government Area. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select 571unmarried youths from households. A validated questionnaire was used for the collection of the data. Descriptive, Chi-square statistics and logistics regression were used to analyze the data. Mean age of respondents was 20.6 ± 2.6 years, 52.0% were males and 52.7% had completed their senior secondary education. Though 82.8% believed that MPHT could reduce the spread of HIV, 43.8% stated that it will increase the stigma associated with HIV infection. Attitude towards mandatory pre-marital HIV testing however was positive. Males were about two times more likely to have positive attitude towards mandatory pre-marital HIV testing (OR=1.507, CI=1.067-2.129). Positive attitude towards MPHT among study respondents offers a window of opportunity of undergoing HIV testing before marriage (Afr J Reprod Health 2010; 14[1]:83-94).