Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The study investigated the secondary school adolescents’ perception of risk behaviours influencing HIV and AIDS prevention and control in Enugu State, Nigeria.
 
 METHOD: The study was a descriptive survey research. A sample of 825 senior secondary secondary school adolescents was selected. Three research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Mean and Standard deviation was used to answer the research questions while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 levels of significances.
 
 RESULTS: Results showed that there is a moderate level of HIV/AIDS risk perception among secondary school adolescents, a moderate level of HIV/AIDS risk perception among the male and female secondary school adolescents and also a moderate level of HIV/AIDS risk perception among the urban and rural secondary school adolescents. It further revealed that there is no significant difference between the mean rating of male and female secondary school adolescents in respect to their HIV/AIDS risk perception. It was also discovered from the study that there is significant difference between the mean rating of urban and rural secondary school adolescents with regards to their HIV/AIDS risk perception in favour of urban secondary school adolescents.
 
 CONCLUSION: The study concludes that there is a moderate level of HIV/AIDS risk perception among secondary school adolescents in the study area. The level of HIV/AIDS risk perception among the male and female secondary school adolescents is moderate. There is a moderate level of HIV/AIDS risk perception among the urban and rural secondary school adolescents. Further studies could be carried out using a larger population to substantiate the urgency for counseling programme to meet the secondary school adolescents’ needs on HIV/AIDS risk behaviours. Further research could also be focused on factors that affect adolescents’ perception of risks which makes them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
Highlights
Adolescence is a developmental period marked by discovery and experimentation following a myriad of physical and emotional changes
It further revealed that there is no significant difference between the mean rating of male and female secondary school adolescents in respect to their HIV/AIDS risk perception
The study concludes that there is a moderate level of HIV/AIDS risk perception among secondary school adolescents in the study area
Summary
Adolescence is a developmental period marked by discovery and experimentation following a myriad of physical and emotional changes. During this period, adolescents get mixed messages about different health issues. Adolescents get mixed messages about different health issues As a result, they can be vulnerable to contracting many infections like Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) (Smriti & Marfatia, 2010). HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was not isolated until 1983 (Remedy Health Media, 2017). Gender may influence the risk of HIV/AIDS infection. Girls account for three out of four new AIDS infections among adolescents aged 15 to 19 (UNICEF, 2018).
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