HIV/AIDS knowledge and sexual behaviour among young people in eastern Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Declines in new HIV infections across the world have been partly spurred by increased knowledge about HIV and changes in sexual behaviour among young people. It is however not clear what knowledge of transmission and prevention modes is high among young people and the extent to which they are exposed to sexual acts. Data on youth (15-24) from 9 districts of Eastern Uganda was analyzed to generate estimates on knowledge of HIV and sexual behavior.
Materials and Methods: Between July and August 2010, data was collected through community Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys from 9 districts in Eastern Uganda namely; Busia, Butaleja, Bududa, Budaka, Bukwa, Mbale, Kapchorwa, Pallisa and Sironko. Each district was divided between 4 and 7 Supervision Areas (SA). Nineteen villages were randomly selected from each SA using probability proportional to population size. From these sampled villages, on average, 22 youths (15-24 years) were randomly selected and interviewed. Knowledge of HIV was measured by univariate frequencies of young people who mentioned the various modes of HIV transmission and prevention. Sexual behaviour on the other hand was measured by computing univariate frequencies of those exposed to physical sexual acts.
Results: Fifty four percent of the young people interviewed were female and 51% were single. At least 63% had ever had sexual intercourse though 31% did not consider themselves at risk of acquiring HIV. Over 80% had ever had sex in the last 12 months and 33% had had sexual intercourse with some one other their sexual partner. At least 60 % had ever used a condom during sexual intercourse. A majority knew about Mother To Child Transmission (81%). Condom use was mentioned by 40%, abstaining was reported by only 31% and being faithful to sexual partner was identified by just 25%.
Conclusions: Most young people in Eastern Uganda are knowledgeable about HIV transmission. However, while a majority of them are sexually very active, they are less informed about the various methods of prevention, which puts them at risk of infection. Sensitization campaigns need to be scaled up to consolidate knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention among young people.

Key Words: HIV/AIDS, Knowledge, Sexual behavior, Young people