Literacy and HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and management among women in Cross River State

Abstract

The direct correlation between literacy, health, economic and political power and the exercise of informed choices especially for the women is enormous. Education is a liberating force; it ensures mobility and development of one’s potentials. Two research hypotheses were posed and tested in this study. The design of the study was basically survey descriptive. The population of the study comprised women from the eighteen local government areas of Cross River State, Nigeria. Twenty-four women were drawn from each of the eighteen local government areas using the simple random sampling technique. In all, a total of four hundred (400) women were used for the study. Instrument for data collection was a twenty item women human immune deficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) Awareness, Prevention and Management Questionnaire (WLAHPAPMQ). Data were analyzed using the Pearson product moment correlation analysis. Results from this study revealed a high positive correlation between literacy and HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and management among women. Recommendations made include the need for intensification of adult education and mass literacy programmes as well as the setting up of non-formal education for rural women. Also, agencies such as the National Orientation Agency should be made relevant to these needs. Key words: Human immune deficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), women, literacy, aids management, Cross River State.