Last modified: 2020-02-11
Abstract
Background: HIV/ AIDS is a global pandemic. Out of the new infections that occur globally each day, two out of three are in sub-Saharan Africa. Similarly, the prevalence of HIV infections among Ethiopian university students has also increased, as HIV prevention was not sufficiently prioritized. In order to decrease the surge of HIV pandemic, prevention messages that encourage individuals to reduce sexual and risk behaviors still remains key intervention strategy. Besides this, the behavioral response to HIV prevention messages among Ethiopian universities are not well studied.
Objective: To assess behavioral response to HIV/AIDS prevention messages among students in selected universities of Amhara region: based on extended parallel process model, 2019.
Methods: Facility based cross sectional study was employed among 423 eligible students from January to February 2019 using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire. Data were entered using Epi-data version 4.2 and analyzed by SPSS version 25 software. Logistic regression analysis was employed to describe the relationship between dependent and independent variables.
Result: Among 400 respondents, 263(65.8%) of them were in danger control response whereas 137(34.2%) were in fear control response. Moreover, 200(50%) were found to have adequate knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS prevention messages whereas 180(45%) of students had favorable attitude towards HIV prevention messages. The odds of danger control response for HIV prevention messages was higher among first year students [AOR=5.5; 95% CI (1.5, 19)] as compared with fifth year students. Similarly, those students who reside in the campus were 60% times less likely to develop danger control as compared to students who live with the family [AOR= 0.4; 95% CI (0.2, 0.9)]. Besides this, students who had adequate knowledge were 2.6 times more likely to develop danger control as compared to students who had inadequate knowledge [AOR= 2.6; 95% CI (1.5, 4.5)]. Moreover, students who receive fear arousal messages were 4.5 times more likely to develop danger control as compared to students who received other type of messages [AOR= 4.5; 95% CI (3, 25)].
Conclusion and recommendation: Nearly 1/3 of the students were in fear control response while the remaining 2/3 of the respondents were in danger control response. Year of study, with whom students currently live, type of message they received and knowledge level of respondents were the factors associated with students’ response to HIV/AIDS prevention messages. If the students are in danger control response, efficacy is stronger than threat, the messages should focus on increasing perceptions of severity and susceptibility (with appropriate efficacy messages), to increase behavior change.