Adolescent's Knowledge about AIDS - Perspective from Islamabad

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To study the adolescent student's knowledge and its sources about AIDS, and its mode of spread in Islamabad. SETTING: One boys and two girls schools in Islamabad. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, using an anonymous, self-administered, brief Urdu questionnaire which was distributed among 100 boys and 182 girls. The response rate was 100% and the average age of respondents was 14.6 years in boys and 12 years in girls. Most respondents knew about AIDS and reported television as their main source of knowledge. Most respondents also correctly believed that AIDS patient can pass on the disease to others, however, they had erroneous beliefs about its mode of transmission. This study testifies to the effectiveness of the successful television based health education campaign regarding AIDS in the adolescent boys and girls, in Islamabad