Knowledge,Attitude And Practice Regarding HIV/Aids Among University Students In Sierra Leone

Background: University students are mainly vulnerable to HIV.Sierra Leone is a small,low-income West African country that has dealt with waves of economic,political and public health challenges including a decade-long brutal civil war of 1990-2001 and the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016.The latest UNAIDS report estimates a countrywide HIV prevalence rate of 1.7% in 2016 among adults aged 15-49 years.Objective: The main aim of this study is to assess the Knowledge,Attitude and Practice related to HIV and AIDS and their risk factors among University students in Sierra Leone,in order to control and prevent the transmission of HIV.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted among three universities(FBC,Njala and UNIMAK)in three different part of the country.A self-administered questionnaire was used to investigate knowledge,attitudes,and sexual risk behavior regarding HIV and AIDS among 600 participants with a convenience sampling by considering 200 participants in each university.SPSS software version 20.0 was used to calculate the frequency distribution,percentage,mean,chi square test and logistic regression.Results: 600 respondents ranged in age from 15 to ≥ 31 years.The great majority of students were male 320(53.3%).97.8% have heard about the disease.More than 95% of the respondents knew that HIV and AIDS could be transmitted.91.8% thought that condoms can prevent the transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse.Over 50% identified television as their most important source of information about AIDS.Some of students had positive attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS.Student who studied at UNIMAK were 1.9 times statistically associated of taking care of HIV positive person in their family compared with FBC students(OR= 1.956,95%CI: 1.289-2.968).Also students who resides or came from the rural area were 1.7 times statistically significant of showing positive attitude in taking caring of HIV positive person in their family(OR= 1.740,95%CI: 1.169-2.589).In relation to high risk behaviors associated with HIV transmission,majority of the students had at least one risk behavior related to unprotected sexual exposure.Students within the age group of 23-30 are 2.7 times more likely of not using condoms during last sexual intercourse are compared to students within the age of 15-22(OR=2.717,95%CI: 1.413-5.224).students who studied at Njala and UNIMAK university were about 1.8 times more significantly associated of not using condom during last sexual intercourse compared with FBC students(OR=1.824,95%CI:1.189-2.799)and(OR=1.775,95%CI: 1.161-2.713).Knowledge is not associated with high risk of HIV/AIDS behavior.Conclusion: Although most of the students had good knowledge,some strategies are needed to firmly establish positive attitude and good sexual practice for preventing HIV/AIDS transmission,especially for condoms use promoted in universities.