HIV/AIDS Knowledge of Undergraduate Students at a Historically Black College and University

Prince Onyekachi Andrew; Azad Bhuiyan; Anthony Mawson; Sarah G Buxbaum; Jung Hye Sung; Mohammad Shahbazi

doi:10.3390/diseases6040098

HIV/AIDS Knowledge of Undergraduate Students at a Historically Black College and University

Diseases. 2018 Oct 31;6(4):98. doi: 10.3390/diseases6040098.

Authors

Prince Onyekachi Andrew¹, Azad Bhuiyan², Anthony Mawson³, Sarah G Buxbaum⁴, Jung Hye Sung⁵, Mohammad Shahbazi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Public Health Clinical Specialist, Lewisville Medical Pharmacy, Lewisville, TX 75057, USA. princeandrew55@gmail.com.
² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39213, USA. azad.r.bhuiyan@jsums.edu.
³ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39213, USA. anthony.r.mawson@jsums.edu.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39213, USA. sarah.g.buxbaum@jsums.edu.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39213, USA. jung.h.lee@jsums.edu.
⁶ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39213, USA. mohammad.shahbazi@jsums.edu.

Abstract

This study among 400 undergraduate students enrolled at Jackson State University (JSU) study aimed to assess knowledge about HIV and AIDS among African-American undergraduate students attending a historically black college and university. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Data were collected using a validated, self-administered, and standardized questionnaire on knowledge regarding risks for HIV and AIDS. Three hundred and eighty-six students (96.5%) had good knowledge about HIV and AIDS, although some participants had misconceptions about the modes of HIV infection transmission. There were no significant gender differences for HIV and AIDS knowledge among the participants (χ² = 3.05; P = 0.08). In general we concluded that JSU undergraduate students had adequate knowledge about HIV transmission modes and AIDS, although some participants had misconceptions about the routes of HIV infection transmission. Hence, this study calls for strengthening HIV and AIDS awareness education among undergraduate students.

Keywords: AIDS; African Americans; HBCU; HIV; Mississippi; students.