Attitudes and practice regarding HIV testing with sexual partners among medical students in Makerere University

Abstract

Background: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome caused by the human immunodeficiency virus remains a global health problem. HIV is a major concern among adolescents and young adults, accounting for 50% of new infections globally, with limited research on HIV testing among youth, especially university students, who may engage in unprotected sex. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to look at the attitudes and practice regarding HIV testing with sexual partners among medical students in Makerere University which is crucial in addressing HIV transmission.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. Participants that were recruited using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling were 384. A pre-tested, semistructured online questionnaire was used to collect data with a 4-point Likert scale with 10 items which was used to assess the attitudes toward HIV testing with sexual partners and a dichotomous scale of “yes” or “no” was used to assess the practice toward HIV testing with sexual partners. The relationship between the dependent variable and demographic factor, as well as logistic regression analysis were established by statistical analysis using SPSS version 21.

Results: Only 45.8% (n= 176) of the participants had good attitudes regarding HIV testing with sexual partners and the majority 54.2% (n=208) of the participants had poor attitudes regarding HIV testing with sexual partners. Majority of the participants 59.9%(n=230) of the participants had poor practices of HIV testing with sexual partners and only 40.1%(n=154) of the participants reported having good practices regarding HIV testing with sexual partners. There was a positive relationship between attitudes and number of sexual partners after multi-variate analysis (aOR: 0.340;95% CI: 0.132-0.875; p=0.025).

Conclusion: The majority of participants displayed positive attitudes towards HIV testing, acknowledging its importance as a service accessible to all individuals. However, some misconceptions persisted, such as the belief that HIV testing is only necessary for those with multiple sexual partners. Despite positive attitudes, the actual practice of regular HIV testing with sexual partners was suboptimal.