Barriers to Voluntary HIV Counselling and Testing among undergraduate students of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus- Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Despite the increase in the level of awareness and usefulness of HIV counselling, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) & its utilization remains low most especially among vulnerable groups such as university students. Method: A descriptive survey was utilized for the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from undergraduate students of the faculty of health sciences and technology.Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for data analysis. Result: The mean ageof the respondents was 22.34±2.97, majority (87.1%) had high level of knowledge of voluntary HIV counselling and testing; few (42.6%) respondents had uptake of voluntary HIV counselling and testing, a major personal barrier was low risk perception for HIV as the uptake of voluntary HIV counselling differ among those who perceived vulnerability (52.0%) to HIV/AIDS and those who did not (38.5%), p = 0.021 a major academic institutional barrier was non-availability of VCT centres and services in the schools. Also, non-availability of VCT centre and location of VCT centre far away from respondents’ area of resident were identified as the health institutional barriers. There is no significant difference in the uptake of voluntary HIV counselling and testing among the respondents based on gender and department. Inconclusion, there is low uptake of voluntary HIV counselling and testing among undergraduate health science students andthe major barriers were personal, academic institutional and health institutional barriers. The school authorities should ensure that the awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS and VCT in the campus is intensified to enhance students’ knowledge and the government should establish a functional voluntary counselling and testing centre in the campus to enhance the uptake by the students. Key words : Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV); Voluntary HIV counselling and testing; Barriers, Undergraduate students.