ACCEPTABILITY AND BARRIERS TO UPTAKE OF HIV TESTING AND COUNSELING AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN A SEMI-URBAN AREA OF SOUTH WEST NIGERIA
HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC) remains one of the cornerstones of HIV prevention. Its uptake among youths including undergraduates and other vulnerable groups in Nigeria has been found to be very low. This study therefore examined the acceptability and barriers to uptake of HTC among undergraduates in a semi-urban area of south west Nigeria.
METHODS:
A descriptive cross sectional design was conducted among 330 undergraduates of two higher institutions using a 2-stage sampling technique to select two departments from each institution and participants were recruited from the selected departments by balloting. A semi-structured self administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from respondents. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and association tested with Chi-square at 5% level of significance.
RESULTS:
Mean age of respondents was 22.3±3.0 with the highest proportion (62.8%) within 20-24 years. Above half (54.7%) were male and 97.3% were single. Majority (70.3%) were sexually active, 77.2% males and 61.9% females. Among the sexually active, 59.6% (57.6% males and 62.7% females) used condom during last sexual intercourse while 43.8% (52.0% males and 31.3% females) had multiple sexual partners. Perceived risk of contacting HIV was reported by 57.8%. Half (50%) of the respondents had ever had HTC. Reported barriers to uptake include lack of access to screening facility (40.3%), fear of positive result (30.9%), not sexually active (24.7%), denial of risk (17.3%) and fear of stigmatization (16%). Significantly those aged 25 and above and with good knowledge of HIV/AIDS had previously had HTC (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:
Risky sexual behaviour was prevalent among this group. Uptake rate of HIV testing and counseling was on the average. Advocacy for accessible youth friendly screening centres within the campus is suggested. Public enlightenment is also needed to address fear of positive result, denial of risk and fear of stigmatization among them.