Assessment of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Utilization among Preparatory Students in Hawassa Town, SNNPR, Ethiopia
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Date
2010-06
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Addis Abeba Universty
Abstract
Background:- HIV voluntary counseling and testing is an entry point to both prevention
and treatment. Adolescents have to know their HIV sero status to enable them to seek
appropriate treatment as well as to enable them to choose prevention strategies and adopt
safe sexual behavior. For effective service delivery in an area and the country recent and
local information is very important.
Objective:-Assessment of VCT utilization among preparatory students in Hawassa town.
Method:- The study was A cross-sectional quantitative study a total of 570 preparatory
students were selected using a two-stage sampling proportional to size method.
Result:- Five hundred thirty (95.8%) of the study participants had good knowledge and
attitude toward HIV/AIDS and VCT. Two hundred twenty three (40.3%) had VCT in the
past 70(12.6%) females and 153(27.7%) males. With regard to service provision the
majority preferred health professionals, integrated VCT center followed by self standing,
face to face and weekends followed by after working hour as service provider, scheme,
way to get HIV test result and convenient time. The finding showed that, not having
history of previous sexual practice and self standing VCT service scheme preference had
significant positive-associations while sidama in ethnic and married had significant
negative- associations with VCT utilization.
Concussions:- The finding reflects knowledge-practice gap and IEC/BCC should be
provided in a way that inspire preparatory students, make them perceive the benefits and
drive them to practice. It is also advisable to provide voluntary HIV counseling and
testing services in self standing-VCT–center and youth-center and in extra regular
working hours (weekends and after working hour).
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Assessment of Voluntary Counseling