Factors associated with university students' knowledge about HIV and preand post-exposure prophylaxis.

Abstract

to analyze the factors associated with university students' knowledge about HIV and preand post-exposure prophylaxis. a cross-sectional study was conducted with 503 university students from a southern state in Brazil; data were collected using a characterization tool and a questionnaire containing 16 statements about the topic; descriptive measures and Poisson regression models with robust variance were used for analysis. the prevalence of adequate knowledge (i.e., scoring more than 12 correct answers) was 27.83%; students older than 24 years, enrolled in health-related courses, who had not engaged in sexual relations in the last quarter, with a history of rapid HIV testing, and who knew or had heard about the prophylaxes showed a higher likelihood of scoring more than 12 correct answers. generally, the knowledge of young people about HIV and its prophylaxes was found to be inadequate and influenced by sociodemographic, educational, and behavioral factors.