A Study to Assess the Knowledge and Attitude of the Pre-University Students on HIV/AIDS in Selected Colleges of Mangalore

Background: The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was epidemic in its third decade and has become a pandemic disease that threatens the world population. It affects all body systems as well as the mental health and social relationships of carriers and asymptomatic patients.

Aim: To determine the knowledge and attitude of Pre-university students on HIV/AIDS.

Methods: A descriptive survey design was used for the study. The study was conducted in the selected preuniversity colleges in Mangalore. Population for this study constituted pre-university college students of Mangalore. The sample comprised of 200 students from selected pre-university colleges. Non-Probability purposive sampling technique was used to select the college students. Instruments used were demographic proforma, structured knowledge questionnaire and rating scale.

Results: Majority (69%) of pre-university students had adequate knowledge on HIV/AIDS and 31% had inadequate knowledge on HIV/AIDS. Majority (68.5%) of pre-university students had favorable attitude on HIV/AIDS and (31.5%) had unfavorable attitude on HIV/AIDS.

Conclusion: Information about behavior, attitude and knowledge through regular surveys is essential to better understand the dynamics of HIV epidemic.