Abstract

Background: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to pose significant public health challenges globally, particularly among young adults and university students. The burden of HIV infection is high in sub-Saharan Africa, and youths account for about 40% of new HIV infections. Despite the availability of HIV testing services (HTS) in Nigeria, uptake remains suboptimal among young people.
Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the utilization of HTS among undergraduate students at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in April 2024 among 302 undergraduate students who were selected by a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected with a set of pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires and analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 25 software package.
Results: The mean age of the respondents was 23.9 ± 3.6 years, and most were between 15 and 24 years old (62.9%). More than two-thirds had heard of HTS 210 (69.5%), and more than half knew where to access them (n = 173, 57.3%). More than half of the students (152, 50.3%) demonstrated good knowledge of HTS. Although HTS awareness and knowledge were high, only 96 (31.8%) had ever utilized HTS. Utilization of HTS was significantly associated with age (p = 0.024), sex (p < 0.001), marital status (p < 0.001), and religion (p = 0.031). It was higher among older students, females, married individuals, and Christians.
Conclusion: Despite good knowledge and awareness, HTS utilization remains low, and it is mainly due to a lack of interest in the services. HTS was significantly influenced by age, gender, marital status, and religion. There is a need for targeted interventions, particularly for young, male, unmarried, and Muslim students, including enhanced outreach, stigma reduction, decentralization, and subsidization of HTS.

Key words: HIV infection, HIV testing services, knowledge, utilization, undergraduate students