Medisur (Mar 2009)
Knowledge and risk behaviors related with HIV infect in Communitarian General Medicine students.
Abstract
Background: The worldwide epidemic outburst cause by the HIV and lack of effective vaccines against it make of human sexual behavior the most important element to fight this disease. Objective: To identify knowledge level and risk behaviors associated with the infection with this virus in students of second year of Community General Medicine. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, epidemiological, observational study was developed from July to December 2006 including 44 Venezuelan Medicine students, from Giradot municipality, Aragua state, who referred having had sexual intercourse in the last semester of 2006. Results: Most of the students (77,3 %) were females. More that half of them was between 20 and 29 years of age and 61, 4% admitting having knowledge about the different ways of infection. 255 recognized that every sexual orientation could be risky, with less percentage for females. All the surveyed persons agreed to through the test to identify the virus and only 2 of them (4, 5%) referred not confidentiality. young males showed higher percentage of unprotected intercourse and couple stability. Conclusions: Results show that it is important to stress preventive activities to avoid HIV infection in male students and to raise their responsibility regarding safe sexual relations.
