Abstract

Background: One of the major health concerns in Nakaseke district, Uganda is the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), as of March 2014, the prevalence rate of the disease in the district was estimated at about 8%, compared to the national average of 6.5%, making Nakaseke district have the sixth-highest prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the entire country. We set out to explore the knowledge and attitude of secondary school students in Nakaseke, Uganda on HIV transmission and treatment. Methods: This was a cross sectional survey-based study with data collected during the month of February 2020. Data were analyzed using R programming language version 3.6.2. Results: A total of 163 participants volunteered for the study, 53.37% males and 46.63% females with ages ranging from 12 – 20 years. Participants came from 5 senior classes (S1, S2, S3, S4 and S6). In total, 87.73% participants were aware of HIV/AIDS while 12.27% were not. The major source of information was through teachers/schools. 96.50% knew the mode of transmission of HIV/AIDS and 95.11% were conversant with HIV/AIDS prevention. 63.6% were aware of the terms DNA and genes whereas 36.36% were not. Discussion: Generally, the students in Nakaseke district, Uganda had a high level of awareness of HIV/AIDS. However, with regards to aspects such as the cause and modern prevention methods like taking prep and prevention of mother to child transmission were less known to them. Efforts to find a cure for HIV/AIDS are still in vain. Therefore, strong emphasis on up to date control and prevention methods should be implemented to fight the HIV/AIDS scourge.

Highlights

  • The vast majority of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are located in low- and middle- income countries, with an estimated 68% living in sub-Saharan Africa1

  • 143 (87.73%) participants were aware of HIV/AIDS while 20 (12.27%) were not

  • This study provides preliminary data from a country and region where current information on the knowledge of young adults about HIV/AIDS and their attitude toward infected persons are sparse

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Summary

Introduction

The vast majority of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are located in low- and middle- income countries, with an estimated 68% living in sub-Saharan Africa. The vast majority of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are located in low- and middle- income countries, with an estimated 68% living in sub-Saharan Africa1 Among this group, 20.6 million are living in East and Southern Africa which saw 800,000 new HIV infections in 20181. One of the major health concerns in Nakaseke district, Uganda is the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. We set out to explore the knowledge and attitude of secondary school students in Nakaseke, Uganda on HIV transmission and treatment. 87.73% participants were aware of HIV/AIDS while 12.27% were not. Discussion: Generally, the students in Nakaseke district, Uganda had a high level of awareness of HIV/AIDS. Strong emphasis on up to date control and prevention methods version 2

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