Objective: To assess the basic knowledge about HIV and AIDS among young South Africans in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Design: A questionnaire-based cohort study, involving data collection from senior high school students.
Setting: Randomly selected high schools in the Capricorn District, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Method: Following university research and ethics approvals and permissions from government officials and school principals, consent forms were completed by systematically selected students and their parents or guardians. Questionnaires were distributed to the students in classrooms after school hours and were collected the same day after completion.
Results: Many of the participants (64 per cent) knew what the acronym HIV stands for and 66 per cent knew what AIDS stands for. However, only 33 per cent could explain the difference between HIV negative and positive. Many knew that unprotected sex and mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy (85 and 63 per cent respectively) were modes of HIV transmission. Only two (0.1 per cent) of the participants could define the term ‘window period’. The majority (86 per cent) agreed that it is important to know one’s HIV status; however, only 6 per cent could explain why this is important. Many (66 per cent) indicated that traditional healers could not be consulted for diagnosis of HIV.
Conclusion: Participants exhibited good knowledge on certain questions but performed poorly on others, suggesting the need for more awareness campaigns on the basics of HIV/AIDS among young South Africans.
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