A study on knowledge and awareness of adolescent girls on HIV/AIDS in Bolangir district of Odisha

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Page: 1354-1358

Gitanjali Pradhan, Chandrashree Lenka, and Trupti Pradhan (P.G. Department of Home Science, Sambalpur University, Sambalpur, Odisha)

AIDS has emerged as one of the most formidable challenge for public health in the present scenario and many adolescents are victims of this disease due to lack of knowledge. An attempt has been made to study knowledge and awareness of college going adolescent girls regarding HIV/AIDS in Bolangir District of Odisha. One hundred adolescent girls were selected randomly for the present study from different colleges of Bolangir District head quarter. Information on their family background, socio-economic condition, knowledge on different aspects of HIV/AIDS was collected with the help of interview schedule. The results of the study revealed that majority of the respondents were graduate, unmarried and belonged to joint family. Most of them belonged to middle and lower middle class family. Majority respondents got information about AIDS from Television and 49%girls were aware of correct modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS.Only 18% respondents were ignorant about knowledge on symptoms of HIV/AIDS. 69% and 58% had knowledge about test for diagnosis and diagnostic centre of HIV/AIDS respectively. However statistically a strong association was found between socio-economic class and knowledge on modes of transmission of AIDS. Similarly a positive statistical association between mother’s education and socio-economic class of adolescent girls with knowledge on preventive measures to be taken for AIDS was also found in this study. Thus it can be concluded that as AIDS is a pandemic for the adolescents of the present generation, they should be well informed and well educated about HIV/AIDS from their childhood. Besides this it should be incorporated as a chapter in the curriculum of schools and colleges to educate our future generation for their safety and to build a AIDS free society.