Appiah-Agyekum Nana Nimo, Suapim Robert Henry
Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management, University of Ghana Business School, Accra, Ghana ; Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK.
HIV AIDS (Auckl). 2013 Jul 1;5:137-44. doi: 10.2147/HIV.S44735. Print 2013.
HIV/AIDS is recognized as a national priority health issue in Ghana. Consequently, the Ghana AIDS Commission and the National AIDS Control Programme were established, among other things, to enhance the knowledge and awareness on the nature, causes, effects and means of managing the spread of HIV/AIDS among populations at risk in Ghana. Through the efforts of these bodies and other stakeholders in health, several awareness creation and sensitization efforts have been targeted at teenage girls, a high risk group in Ghana. This study therefore assesses the knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS among senior high school girls in their teens in Ghana using a sample of 260 female students of West African Senior High School. The data collected were analyzed and discussed under relevant themes and within the context of the literature. The study revealed that generally, senior high school girls were knowledgeable on the nature, modes of transmission, and prevention of HIV/AIDS. There were however some students who exhibited limited knowledge on some issues including the spiritual causes and treatment of HIV/AIDS, contacts and associations with infected persons, as well as determination of HIV infection from appearances rather than testing. The study also raised important concerns about the reluctance of senior high school girls to use condoms as a preventive measure and the need to reorient HIV/AIDS awareness interventions in Ghana.
在加纳，艾滋病毒/艾滋病被视为国家重点卫生问题。因此，加纳艾滋病委员会和国家艾滋病控制计划得以成立，其目的之一是提高加纳高危人群对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的性质、病因、影响及传播控制方法的认识和了解。通过这些机构以及其他卫生领域利益相关者的努力，针对加纳的高危人群——少女，开展了多项提高认识和宣传教育活动。因此，本研究以260名西非高中女学生为样本，评估了加纳十几岁的高中女生对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的认识和了解程度。所收集的数据在相关主题下并结合文献背景进行了分析和讨论。研究表明，总体而言，高中女生对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的性质、传播方式和预防措施有所了解。然而，仍有一些学生在某些问题上表现出知识有限，包括艾滋病毒/艾滋病的精神病因和治疗、与感染者的接触和交往，以及仅凭外表而非检测来判断是否感染艾滋病毒。该研究还对高中女生不愿使用避孕套作为预防措施以及加纳重新调整艾滋病毒/艾滋病宣传干预措施的必要性提出了重要关切。
