Students' perceptions on premarital sex among youths, their attitude towards use of condoms and risk of HIV-AIDS; a case study of secondary schools in Dar es Salaam.

HIV/AIDS is a social and health problem facing our nation. Youth are among the infected and affected people, who are seriously hit by the epidemic. Some secondary school students in Tanzania engage in sexual intercourse and become vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. It was out of this realisation that prompted this study. The study focused on students' perceptions on premarital sex, attitude towards using condoms and the risk of HIV/AIDS: Data was collected by using self administered questionnaires, Focus group discussions, interviews, documentary review and informal discussions. The sample for the study included students Jangwani, Kibasila and Tambaza who were selected through probability sampling techniques. The study found that students perceive premarital sex to be normal. They have negative attitude towards the use of condoms during intercourse, do not perceive themselves to be at risk of contacting HIV/AIDS, rather they see it as "other people's problem". The study concludes that in order to succeed in the fight against HIV/AIDS among secondary school youth, they must get proper and consistent information should be empowered with skills to protect themselves and solve problems on sexuality.