Towards UNAIDS 95-95-95: HIV knowledge and associated factors among young adults of 18 to 24 years age group in Northern Namibia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20222198Keywords:
HIV knowledge, Young adults, NamibiaAbstract
Background: Young adults have been worst affected by the HIV epidemic, and in many countries, they contribute about 50% of new infections. The infections are driven by lack of HIV knowledge, which contributes to poor HIV testing uptake among the young adults. This study aimed to assess the level of HIV knowledge among young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years who receive medical services at a private hospital in northern Namibia.
Methods: A single centre, hospital based, analytic cross-sectional study design was used for the study. 84 participants were selected using a simple random sampling method. A structured self-administered questionnaire adopted from the HIV-KQ-45 questionnaire was used for data collection. Statistical analysis included the use of Chi-square tests and logistic regression.
Results: The findings of the study indicated that respondents who had good HIV knowledge were 58%. Chi-square tests showed there were statistically significant associations between residence and the HIV knowledge of participants, and between education level and HIV knowledge of participants (p<0.01). Logistic regression revealed that participants living in rural areas were statistically significantly less likely to have good HIV knowledge, OR = 0.24, 95% CI (0.10-0.61).
Conclusion: The low level of good HIV knowledge among young adults in northern Namibia is concerning, considering that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been around for more than four decades. Our findings underscore the need for tailored HIV knowledge delivery strategies, especially for rural communities.
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