Study Of Knowledge, Attitude And Behaviour Pattern On HIV/AIDS Among Medical Students

Abstract

A survey of 200 students aged 18 to 23 years attending GGS Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, assessed their sexual risk practices, AIDS- specific attitudes and beliefs, sexual relationship pattern and preferences and social characteristics. Overall, 39% of students were sexually experienced and these young people had on average, one sexual partner. Only 10% of sexually experienced students said they consistently used condom and 29% said they never did. Unprotected vaginal intercourse was the predominant and preferred sexual practice; it was also the practice that most often occurred with their last sexual partner. In all, 28% of students defined “safer sex” as condom use. Many young people believe that AIDS is a threat only to members of particular “risk groups”; relatively few believed that they could get AIDS (17%) or said that AIDS information had influenced their sexual behaviour (29% of those who were sexually experienced). Females were more likely than males to prefer having an exclusive partner and males were more likely to prefer having casual partners.