HIV AND AIDS RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN UTURU ABIA STATE

ABSTRACT

Thestudy examined the HIV And AIDs Risk Behaviorsamong Secondary School Students with specific reference to students in Uturu Abia State. Relevant conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature was reviewed. The result revealed that there is a significant influence of HIV/AIDS knowledge on student’s involvement in HIV/AIDS Risk-taking behaviours in UturuAbia State. The finding of the study also reveals that it is important to use condoms when having sex. The findings of the study also reveal that there is a significant relationship between HIV/AIDS knowledge and student’s involvement in HIV/AIDS Risk-taking behaviours in UturuAbia State. The finding of the study also reveals that there is the influence of sex education both by parents and in school is one the ways of achieving positive behavioural changes towards HIV/AIDS risk-taking behaviours among secondary school students in UturuAbia State. The findings of the study reveal that people with AIDS should not be looked down upon in UturuAbia State. It was therefore concluded that HIV And AIDs Risk Behaviorsamong Secondary School Students with specific reference to students in Uturu Abia State. It was therefore recommended that the curriculum should be driven to all sector of the workforce. This should not only be targeted at higher institutions but included in the curriculum of school from primary to higher institutions.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the Study

The most terrible disease that mankind has ever experienced is the human immune deficiency virus (HIV)/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (UNAIDS, 2011). Sub-Saharan Africa has been the hardest hit by the pandemic caused by HIV/AIDS. (1999 UNAIDS). Of the 40 million adults and children projected to be living with HIV/AIDS as of the end of 2011, 28.1 million were in sub-Saharan Africa with an adult prevalence rate of 8.4%.In Nigeria, the most populous nation in sub-Africa, the prevalence was estimated at 5% as of 2011, which indicated a sizeable community of HIV/AIDS-positive individuals. 2011 (UNAIDS). Since the first case of AIDS was found in 1986, the rate of infection has risen steadily. According to the sentinel poll, the increasing rate affected both male and female respondents aged 15 to 49. This equates to more than 2.8 million persons who were HIV/AIDS positive at the time(UNESCO, 2013). It is clear that attempts are being made in several nations, especially Nigeria, to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo's 2013 Millennium Development Goal placed a strong emphasis on ending HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. Notwithstanding the government's, nongovernmental organizations', and individual organizations' cries for help, the responses to the epidemic have been patchy, and coverage of the basic HIV/AIDS activities is still alarmingly low.According to the results of the 2005 Sero Prevalence Sentinel Survey in Nigeria, 4.4% of people had HIV/AIDS. This is some progress from the earlier report of 5% as reported by UNAIDS in 2011 as a result of numerous government and private sector intervention measures.

According to FMH (2005), traditional beliefs, cultural considerations, a lack of awareness about the disease, and poverty were the main causes of the rising HIV/AIDS prevalence in Nigeria. Moreover, unprotected sexual activity with several partners outside of marriage, particularly among young girls and boys, and early marriage are among the many risk factors for HIV infections. The US Department of State (2008) also noted that 3.9% of adults in Nigeria between the ages of 15 and 49 have HIV. The third-highest number of HIV-positive individuals reside in Nigeria. Nigeria's HIV pandemic is intricate and varies greatly by region.While the epidemic is more widespread and driven by high-risk behaviors in some States, it is more concentrated and perpetuated by multiple sexual engagements in the general population in other States. In Nigeria, young people are more susceptible to HIV, with young women being at greater risk than young men. According to U.S. Department (2008) reports, there are many risk factor that contribute to the spread of HIV, including lack of adequate knowledge, prostitution, high risk practices among students and itinerant workers, high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections, clandestine high risk heterosexual and homosexual practices, international trafficking of women and young girls and irregular blood screening. Around the world there is also an increasing concern about young people’s knowledge and risk behaviour of early and unprotected sexual relation. The AIDS epidemic has made it necessary to teach young people effective sexual health and AIDS preventive programs that can increase and maintain desirable behaviour that can virtually eliminate their risk of becoming infected. Nkya,Gillespie andHowlet, (2019) stated that it has been recognized for many years that population with high number of sexual contacts, high HIV and STI prevalence and low condom use play key role in the transmission of HIV.

Muyiwa (2019) stated that in college of Education where we have a crime of youths, sexual behaviour and adventures are poses a serious moral and health problems. Muyiwa (2019) also opined that, in schools, on the streets and boardrooms, sex is sold and bought for as little as a price of lunch, posing serious, moral and health problems for Nigerians. In Nigerian schools and institutions of high learning students who are supposed to study and become leaders of tomorrow are combining their studies with the world’s oldest profession-prostitution. This they tagged campus “prostitution or sex escapes, junk trade and sex racket”. This sexual problem is not limited to only universities, tagged tertiary institution but is applicable and practiced in all schools; polytechnics, colleges of education and secondary schools. However, students of colleges of Education in Nigeria tend to engage in high-risk sexual behaviour that is known to increase the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Gesto, (2014) stated that tertiary institutions are regarded as the cohort zones for HIV/AIDS. This is because the students are young and sexually active, with many of them having more than one sexual partners. Gesto (2014) also advanced that some factors responsible for this behaviour could be ascribe to poor economic status which forces some of the female students engaged in commercial sex to pay for their education and expensive life while in school.

The Federal Government has adopted so many measures ranging from public enlightenment, campaign radio and T.V. jingles to newspaper advertisementto stem the tide of AIDS in the country at large. The war has been carried to educational institutions via workshops and seminars and many testing centers for AIDS detection have been established which carters for individuals without any fees paid. Both nationals and international organization have been put in place to sensitized people on the ills of HIV and the need to change our risky sexual behaviours. Inspite of all these efforts, the epidemic still presents serious challenges. Every year increasing numbers of young people between ages 15-40 years are infected with HIV globally. The reason for this is not far fetch. The young people nowadays are more sexually active than those of the previous generation. Therefore, there is need to provide adequate information on the knowledge and attitude of HIV/AIDS to these teaming populations to enhance their awareness and perception on the dreaded disease.

1. Statement of the Problem

While initiatives are being taken to educate students and instructors about HIV/AIDS, student teachers are falling behind. The student teachers are future educators who will focus on teaching in primary schools, where HIV/AIDS education should be prioritized. Students in on secondary schools are in a stage where their minds are open and they can easily understand expectations (McDevitte&Omrod, 2002:17). These  students may be exposed to environments where HIV transmission is more likely since they live far from their places of origin (Nowkoji&Ajuwon, 2014). While initiatives are being taken to educate students and instructors about HIV/AIDS, student teachers are falling behind. The student teachers are future educators who will focus on teaching in primary schools, where HIV/AIDS education should be prioritized. Students in primary schools are in a stage where their minds are open and they can easily understand expectations(McDevitte&Omrod, 2002:17). These college students may be exposed to environments where HIV transmission is more likely since they live far from their places of origin (Nowkoji&Ajuwon, 2014). It is there important to assess the HIV And AIDs Risk Behaviorsamong Secondary School Students with specific reference to students in Uturu Abia State.

1. Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to examine theHIV And AIDs Risk Behaviorsamong Secondary School Students with specific reference to students in Uturu Abia State. Other objectives of the study include;

1. To assess the influence of the student’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS on their involvement in risk-taking behaviourin Uturu Abia State
2. To examine the knowledge secondary schoolstudents, have in relation to HIV/AIDS in Uturu Abia State
3. To examine attitudes of college students toward HIV/AIDS and towards people living with AIDSin Uturu Abia State
4. To identify the risky sexual behaviours do student teachers engage in with regard to HIV/AIDSin Uturu Abia State
5. Find out measure of achieving positive behavioural changes towards HIV/AIDS risk-taking behavioursin Uturu Abia State

Research Questions

The research questions are;

1. What is the influence of the student’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS on their involvement in risk-taking behaviourin Uturu Abia State?
2. What knowledge doessecondary school students have in relation to HIV/AIDS in Uturu Abia State?
3. What are the attitudes of college students toward HIV/AIDS and towards people living with AIDS in Uturu Abia State?
4. What are the risky sexual behaviours do student teachers engage in with regard to HIV/AIDS in Uturu Abia State?
5. What are the measure of achieving positive behavioural changes towards HIV/AIDS risk-taking behaviours in Uturu Abia State?

Scope of the Study

The scope of this study is to examine HIV And AIDs Risk Behaviorsamong Secondary School Students with specific reference to students in Uturu Abia State.

Significance of the Study

The study will help to reveal the knowledge of HIV/AIDS of the college students and their attitudes toward HIV/AIDS. The risky sexual practices of the student teachers willbe identified and, consequently, the educational needs of the college students will be better understood.

 The survey will assist programme planners for HIV/AIDS intervention campaigns in directing their training towards gaps identified by the study. It will also help curriculum designers for the college to understand which aspects of HIV/AIDS need to be emphasized in the syllabus and will create awareness to SHAPE as to what factors may be driving the pandemic in this group.

This will ensure that when student teachers graduate from the college they are equipped with accurate information and have a comfort zone to discuss HIV/AIDS-related issues with their pupils.

1. Justification of the Study

With the emerging prevalence of HIV/AIDs in Nigeria, it is pertinent to sort for ways to reduce its increase and the only this can be done is tackling the younger youths who sexual urge are still very high. Their behavior towards sex and how they want to do it should be known so as to enlighten them on the safety techniques that will help them avoid the deadly virus which does not have a permanent cure. It is based on this presumptions that the present study is justified.