Effects of health education intervention on knowledge, attitude and practice of youths concerning HIV/AIDS in rural Nigerian community

Abstract

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) caused by Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been a major public health issue affecting millions of individuals around the world. No continent is spared. HIV/AIDS is the most deadly of all the sexually transmitted infections. HIV/AIDS epidemic can have incalculable implications for agriculture, business and socioeconomic development of a country. This intervention study was carried out between June and October 2006 with the aim of assessing the impact of health education on the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of youths concerning HIV/AIDS. Preliminary KAP was assessed among study and control groups with the aid of a structured questionnaire designed by the researchers. This was followed by the intervention stage with health education given to the youths in the study group and subsequent evaluation of the impact using the same instrument used at the preliminary stage. The study took place in Ikerre Ekiti, a rural community in Ekiti state, Nigeria. The results showed increase in the level of knowledge among the intervention group on STI and HIV/AIDS from 70.7% to 100%. The attitude and practice of the study group were also statistically different from the control group after intervention. It was concluded that infection rate can be reduced by public health initiatives such as health education. To reduce the rate of spread of HIV infection, it is recommended that HIV/AIDS education be vigorously pursued amongst adolescents.