Knowledge on HIV/AIDS among the Students of a Selected College in Mymensingh District, Bangladesh

Abstract

This descriptive type of cross sectional study was conducted to explore the knowledge on HIV/AIDS among the college students in Mymensingh district with the sample size was 150.The study revealed that 43.3 % of the respondents was in age group 16-18 years and 56.7 % was in age group 19-22 years. Among them 80% were female and 20% were male all of them were unmarried. The study further revealed that 81.9% of the respondents mentioned the causes  of HIV/AIDS was virus, 12.8% mentioned bacteria, 4% mentioned metabolic, 4%  and 3.4% mentioned fungus, fast food, 3.4% and dirty water respectively but 12.4% didn't know about the causes of HIV/AIDS It is found from the study that majority of the respondents (76%) had knowledge on vulnerable group for HIV/AIDS was drug addicted person, 75.3% said sex worker, 51.3% said affected person from sexual disease, 37.3% said foreign service holder, 33.3% said university student, 14.7% said travelers businessman, 12.0% said transport labor, 6.7% said armed force, 6.0% said doctor nurse in a hospital worker and 10.7% didn't have any knowledge about it. Study showed that 82.7% of respondents identified weight reduction as a symptom of AIDS, followed by was 71.3% repeated fever, 70% was loss of energy, 26.7% was remittent sneezing cough, 26% was long term diarrhea, 15.3% was skin diseases and 10.7% didn't know the symptoms of HIV/AIDS. Study showed that majority of the respondents (46.2%) stated sources of HIV/AIDS transmission was body fluid followed by 37.9% from semen, 18.6% from saliva, 11.7% from vaginal discharge, and 30.3% didn't know about the sources of HIV/AIDS transmission. It was found that majority of the respondents (75.3%) had knowledge on preventive measures of HIV/AIDS was to use condom during sexual activity, 58.2% told screening before blood transfusion, 42.5% stated the use of disposable syringe during injection, 35.6% stated living safe place from the affected person and only 10.3% of respondents didn't know anything about it. 58.8% of the respondents had knowledge on treatment facilities was medical college hospital and 53.4% mentioned district hospital, 39, 2% said Upazilla health complex, 40.5% said specialized hospital,34.5% said private hospital and 18.2% said private clinic, among them only 20.9% of the respondents did not know about the treatment facilities about HIV/AIDS. The knowledge level of the respondents which was 35% had average knowledge, 33% had good knowledge, 18% had very good knowledge and 14% had poor knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS. Provision of HIV/AIDS information through mass media and health education programs among the college students should be regularly broadcast to reinforce the knowledge level about the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.