Browsing by Author "Makangila, Victoria Mollard"

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    HIV/AIDS preventive and risk behaviours among female secondary school adolescents
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2002) Makangila, Victoria Mollard
    This cross-sectional survey assessed the extent of HIV/AIDS preventive and risky behaviours among 1726 female secondary school students, from 11 secondary schools in Arusha region, Northern Tanzania. Information was collected using a questionnaire. The research was based on four research tasks with pertinent questions which assessed female students’ HIV/AIDS preventive and risky behaviours vis-a-vis selected socio¬demographic variables, location of the school and living status; the association between female students’ HIV/AIDS preventive behaviours and perceived HIV/AIDS vulnerability; the association between female students’ HIV/AIDS preventive and risky behaviours vis-a-vis exposure to mass media; and the association between female students’ HIV/AIDS risky behaviours vis-a-vis condom use. It was reveled that most of the respondents reported to have had totally abstained from sexual intercourse. The prevalence of abstinence from sexual intercourse decreased significantly as the age and grade increased. The same trend was observed regarding condom use. However, there was low prevalence of condom use among the respondents. The severity of HIV/AIDS had been perceived by most of the students, although they perceived themselves less susceptible to HIV infection. There was higher percentage of respondents who had only one sexual partner and had s been exposed to mass media as compared to their counterparts who had never been exposed to mass media. These was also higher percentage of respondents who had sexual intercourse with partners they knew well and had been exposed to newspapers than their counterparts’ who had rarely or never been exposed to newspapers. Moreover, the use of condom was higher among respondents who were familiar with sexual partners than among respondents who had no knowledge of sexual partners before the intercourse. In the light of these findings, relevant recommendations for immediate attention and further research were made.