Conhecimentos dos residentes do campus universitário de Évora sobre o VIH

Abstract

Introduction: In Portugal the wider casuistry of HIV infection in the year of 2012 lies on the asymptomatic carriers and on the average age of 41 (DGS, 2013). If, sometimes, manifestations take a long time until the clinical diagnosis happens (Boyer & Kegeles, 1991), the contamination can be located in the youth years. To implement prevention campaigns it is necessary to know the recipients. University students’ knowledge of HIV is satisfactory (Jahanfar, Lye, & Ramstpal, 2009; Sutton et al., 2011) but such subject was not yet studied in the residents of the University of Évora Campus. Goal: Describe the knowledge of HIV infection amongst students that live in university residences. Methodology: This is a descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional study. Convenient sample of 200 subjects, with a mean age of 21.77 years old (DP=2.24), being 66.5% of them girls. The applied questionnaire inquired about sociodemographic aspects, degree and knowledge of HIV through a scale (Zimet, 1998). Results: The level of knowledge is high (M=18.17; DP=2.26). Bachelor degree students have a wider knowledge than master/PhD students and other degrees (having significant contrasts especially with these other degrees). Subjects who have a constant partner and who simultaneously have intercourse with others are the ones that possess a weaker knowledge of HIV. Conclusions: Sexual education taught during compulsory education, mass media campaigns and health promotion campaigns can help justify the score obtained from the sample. However, it will be necessary to find strategies that tie knowledge to safe behaviors.