HIV/AIDS knowledge and gender differences among high school students in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the HIV/AIDS knowledge among high school boys and girls in Nairobi, Kenya. The sample of the study comprised 69 female and 88 male participants drawn from two randomly identified high schools in Nairobi. Participants were administered an HIV/AIDS questionnaire. The method of data analysis comprised frequencies, percentage and chi-square. The results showed that there were three categories in the findings. In the first category for some questions, there were no gender differences. In second category, there were gender differences in favour of male participants, while in the third category girls were more knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS than boys. In conclusion, it was advocated that, educating, motivating, persuading and enabling should be the chief cornerstones of HIV/AIDS public education campaigns. This will go a long way in equipping adolescents to protect themselves against the scourge of HIV/AIDS.