The Importance of Training on the Topic of AIDS in Promoting Preventative Behaviour Among University Students

Problem Statement: Like all education, health education represents a complexity of education experiences designed to create voluntary changes in behaviour, which leads to the individual and the community acquiring healthy life patterns. Young adults may be at risk of contracting the HIV/AIDS infection. Their resistance to educational and preventative campaigns has been proven, in part, due to the attitudes and values that are characteristic of and associated to the developmental period they are experiencing which can inhibit or make it difficult to change behaviour.

 

Purpose of Study: Identify the deficient areas in training on the topic of HIV/AIDS infection;

 

Research Methods: A quantitative, descriptive and correlational study with a sample of 2002 students (60.7% female) aged between 17 and 68 years old, (M=21.76 ± 4.43), ranging from the first and last years of universities in the Northern and Central areas of Portugal. The protocol for data gathering included personal and academic information, the range of sources of information/knowledge about AIDS and the relationship and Health Scale.

 

Findings: 37.9 % confirmed having received training on AIDS, 43.3% of which were female and 29.6% were male. Those of which received training on AIDS proved to have better results than those who did not, showing significant differences in all subscales. Those who did not receive training had poorer knowledge regarding beliefs that are common to students (t=-2.895; p=0.004), the incorrect protection against AIDS (t=-7.191; p=0.000) and in regards to the overall value of the relationship and Health Scale (t=-2.684; p= 0.007).

 

Conclusions: We found that there are various ways to provide health education to young people, however not all prove to have the same effectiveness, the same change in behaviour and attitude among young people who have the tendency to give more value information given by the media.