Abstract

This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the HIV/AIDS knowledge level of students in a university School for Health Sciences before they began their infectious disease class. The study population was 56 students who were enrolled in the nursing and health officer divisions of a university School for Health Sciences and who were in the Infectious Disease class. All of the students were to be included in the sample, however there were students absent on the day the questionnaire was implemented and the sample, therefore, contained 45 students (80.3%). Forty percent of the students were over 20 years old, 51.1% were female and in the nursing division, 46.7% were living in a rented home with friends and 20% had not previously received information about AIDS. It was determined that 66.7% of the students wanted to have the AIDS test done, 93.3% thought that it was necessary for couples to be tested for AIDS before marriage and 75.6% thought that individuals with AIDS should be kept away from society. No significant relationship was found between the students' age group, gender, school in which they were enrolled, and place of residence with their AIDS knowledge score mean. There was a statistically significant difference between the students' status of receiving information about AIDS and status of their wanting to be tested with their AIDS knowledge level (p

Key words: AIDS, university student, knowledge level

Article Language: Turkish English