Abstract
Voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VHCT) is one of the key strategies in the prevention of HIV in Ethiopia. However, utilisation of the VHCT services amongst adolescents has been reported as low by previous studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate adolescents' knowledge and attitudes towards VHCT services amongst adolescents attending high school in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. A cross-sectional school-based design using quantitative methods was employed to attain the objectives of the study. Data collection was done using self-administered structured questionnaires amongst 378 adolescent high school students. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that 75.7% of students are aware of the voluntary HIV counselling and testing services; 62.2% use the services and suggested that VHCT services should be located in schools and youth clubs for better access by adolescents. Thirty-two percent of respondents rated themselves at risk of HIV infection and 35.2% were not willing to disclose their HIVpositive status to anybody. The findings of the study clearly indicate a need for a more accessible voluntary HIV counselling and testing services for adolescents.
Highlights
HIV counselling and testing has been identified as the key entry point to prevention, care, treatment and support services
A cross-sectional school-based design using quantitative methods was employed in this study to assess knowledge about HIV attitudes towards Voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VHCT) services, as well as factors influencing the use of these services by adolescent high school students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The findings from the study are presented according to the question sequence in the questionnaire and are presented according to the following sub-headings: socio-demographic data; knowledge about HIV and AIDS; attitudes towards VHCT; and utilisation of VHCT services
Summary
HIV counselling and testing has been identified as the key entry point to prevention, care, treatment and support services. According to the 2006 AIDS report in Ethiopia, people between 15–24 years had the highest prevalence of HIV, 5.6% (FMOH and National HAPCO 2006). HIV counselling and testing have been identified as the key entry point to prevention, care, treatment and support services, where people learn whether they are infected, and are helped to understand the implications of their HIV status and make informed choices for the future. With the development of affordable and effective medical care for people living with HIV, the demand for testing has rapidly increased, creating an urgent need to improve access and quality of service (Joint Publications of IPPF South Asia Regional office and UNFPA 2004)
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