KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AIDS AND PERCEIVED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO HIV AMONG MALE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA.

Abstract

The reproductive health needs of the adolescent have received little attention, especially in developing countries like Nigeria It has been reported that male students are more likely to start having sex earlier than female. However, the extent of condom use by this group of students has not been well ascertained. This study assessed knowledge of HIV/AIDS, perceived susceptibility to HIV and use of condom among adolescent male students in Lagos Metropolis. The study is descriptive in nature A multistage sampling technique was employed to collect information from 1,000 adolescents in 51 of the 225 secondary schools in Lagos Metropolis. Information on AIDS awareness and use of condoms was obtained through the administration of semi-structured and pre-tested set of questionnaire. Results showed that majority of the respondents 601(60.1%) were in the 16-18 years bracket, 700(70%) were Christians, and 661(66.1%) live with both parents. Eight hundred and eighty two(88.2%) of the respondents have heard of HIV/AIDS and the most important sources of information were television, radio and posters. Six hundred and fifty three (65.3%) respondents correctly mentioned HIV virus as the causative organism of AIDS.