Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Central European Journal of Medicine, cilt.6, sa.6, ss.732-740, 2011 (SCI-Expanded)
Aim: The aim of the current study was to investigate the knowledge of senior High school students, sources of their knowledge, and the socio-economical facts acting on their knowledge about AIDS. Methods: A cross sectional, descriptive study, included a total of 2838 students (1368 females and 1470 males) from 16 high schools of 4 different types (State, Anatolian, Trade, and Private high schools). A questionnaire composed of 5 different sections was used to analyze the knowledge level separately "what kind of disease is AIDS", "how AIDS can be transmitted", "risk factors for AIDS", "ways of protection from AIDS", and "the sources of their knowledge about AIDS" in sections from 1 to 5 respectively. In the first 4 sections the right answers were graded with a score of 2, wrong answers were graded with a score of 0, and a score of 1was given when the student did not have an idea. The maximum score for the first 4 sections of the questionnaire were 12, 38, 14, and 14 respectively. In the 5th section the probable sources of knowledge of AIDS, such as school, friends, family, newspapers, books, and TV, were questioned. Results: The mean score received from the questionnaire were 49.50±6.50 (minimum: 27, maximum: 69). The mean score for the females was 49.69±6.46, it was 49.32±6.66 for the males (p>0.05). The mean score for the first 4 sections were 8.2±2.15, 24.7±4, 16, 9.70±2.30, and 6.90±1.79, respectively. Statistically, there was no significant difference observed between the 15-16, 17-18, and 19-20 age groups on knowledge about "risk factors for AIDS" (p>0.05). However, there were meaningful differences in "what kind of disease is AIDS", "how AIDS can be transmitted", and "ways of protection from AIDS" (p<0.05). In aspect of type of high school the knowledge levels of students about AIDS obtained from the questionnaire were statistically different. Concerning the total score of the questionnaire, the students from trade schools received the lowest score, while the highest score of "risk factors for AIDS." were received by Anatolian high school students. The highest score for "what kind of illness is AIDS", "how AIDS be can transmitted", and "ways of protection from AIDS" were received by private high school students. Conclusion: High school students in this region do not have enough knowledge on AIDS. They need education especially on ways of protection and spread of AIDS. © 2011 Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.