Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours Related To HIV and AIDS among Students in Higher and Technical Education Institutions in Tanzania

Abstract

There is a paucity of studies that have systematically and comprehensively
investigated the knowledge level, attitudes and pattern of sexual behaviours related to HIV and AIDS in higher and technical education settings in sub-Saharan African countries in general and Tanzania in particular. This study attempted to fill this void in knowledge. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used employing a selfadministered
questionnaire as the main data collection tool. More than 500 higher and
technical education students completed a questionnaire assessing their knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to HIV and AIDS. About three quarters of the respondents demonstrated comprehensive knowledge about HIV and AIDS, with a statistically significantly higher proportion of students in higher education reporting higher level of comprehensive knowledge than their counterparts in technical education institutions. More than half of the respondents reported having used condom during their last sexual intercourse. About a third of the respondents reported
having two or more sexual partners in the past 12 months. The article concludes that the level of knowledge and the pattern of attitudes and sexual behaviours among students in higher and technical education institutions does not differ significantly from the rest of the youth in the Tanzanian general population. There is, therefore, a need to strengthen HIV and AIDS education intervention in higher and technical education institutions in Tanzania.

Key words: Knowledge, attitudes, sexual behaviours, Tanzania, higher education