Effectiveness of a prevention campaign on HIV/AIDS knowledge among adolescents in Eastern Slovakia

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this manuscript was to evaluate results of the questionnaire given to young people before and after the prevention campaign to determine whether the prevention campaign improved HIV/AIDS-related knowledge of young people.

Methods

A total of 533 students completed the pre-test and 496 students completed the post-test. Questionnaire was used as pre/post testing tool. Construct validity and measurement scale were assessed using the factor analysis. Rasch scaling was used to establish common scale for pre/post test and to transform raw score into the interval scale. A non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare knowledge in pre-test and post-test.

Results

Students increased their knowledge of HIV/AIDS (Pearson’s measure of effect size r = 0.74) and the risk of acquiring HIV infection (r = 0.68) statistically significantly (p = 0.001). Girls (risk estimation: r = 0.78, knowledge: r = 0.81) improved much more than boys (risk estimation: r = 0.57, knowledge: r = 0.62).

Conclusions

This study suggests that, for the selected sample, the prevention campaign was an effective tool to increase young people’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The authors recommend dividing and tailoring interventions by gender to achieve even more efficient preventive future interventions.

Appendix

Full version of the original test

No.	Question	Answer options
	Age
	Gender
	Education level	Elementary
		Secondary
		Apprentice
		University
1.	Which of the following sexual diseases worries you the most? (Please select one)	Syphilis
		Hepatitis B
		HIV/AIDS
		Genital herpes
2.	Which is the most risky behavior for your health?	Personal hygiene
		Drug use
		Car accidents
		Bad Nutrition
		HIV/AIDS
		Sexuality
		Other
3.	According to you, which of the following behavior or situations are most at risk of HIV infection and which are not?	Risky	Not risky
	Sexual intercourse using condom
	Uncontrolled blood transfusion
	Hug
	Kissing
	Sexual intercourse without condom
	Sharing of plates, cutlery and glasses
	Sharing of needle or syringe
	Living with people living with HIV
	Swimming in a swimming pool
	Mosquito bites
	Unprotected sexual intercourse with occasional partners
4.	Have you ever thought to take an HIV test?	Yes	No
5.	Do you know where you can go if you wish to receive an HIV test?	Yes	No
6.	Can a healthy-looking person have HIV?	Yes	No
7.	Can a person get HIV by sharing food with someone who is infected?	Yes	No
8.	Can a person get HIV by sharing a bathroom with someone who is infected?	Yes	No
9.	Have you ever attended debates or discussions on the protection of HIV infection at school?	Yes	No
10.	Have you ever received proper information about sexuality and STDs?	Yes	No
10.a	If yes please, specify	Parents
		Siblings
		Friends
		Teachers
		Health experts
		Others
11.	Do you know someone in your area who suffers from an STD?	Yes	No

List of items eligible for the analysis

No.	Item
t01	Sexual intercourse using condom—risky or not?
t02	Uncontrolled blood transfusion—risky or not?
t03	Hug—risky or not?
t04	Kissing—risky or not?
t05	Sexual intercourse without condom—risky or not?
t06	Sharing of plates, cutlery and glasses—risky or not?
t07	Sharing of needle or syringe—risky or not?
t08	Living with people living with HIV—risky or not?
t09	Swimming in a swimming pool—risky or not?
t10	Mosquito bites—risky or not?
t11	Unprotected sexual intercourse with occasional partners—risky or not?
t12	Have you ever thought to take an HIV test?
t13	Do you know where you can go if you wish to receive an HIV test?
t14	Can a healthy-looking person have HIV?
t15	Can a person get HIV by sharing food with someone who is infected?
t16	Can a person get HIV by sharing a bathroom with someone who is infected?
t17	Have you ever attended debates or discussions on the protection of HIV infection at school?
t18	Have you ever received proper information about sexuality and STDs?
t19	Do you know someone in your area suffering from an STD?