Background: HIV/AIDS is highly prevalent among youth. Inadequate knowledge and major misconceptions related to HIV/AIDS among adolescents/ youth including university students would increase its transmission.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess knowledge about HIV/AIDS and its determinants among Assiut University students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on representative sample of 776 students in Assiut University. A multistage stratified cluster sampling technique was used. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. HIV/AIDs knowledge was assessed and a knowledge score was calculated.
Results: Only 70.5% of Assiut University students have heard about AIDS. The main sources of the students’ knowledge were media (46.3%), internet (44.6 %), school (28 %), university educational courses and health education sessions (27.8 %), friends (23.9 %) and family (22.5 %). The students in the study had a low knowledge score of 35 percent. Some misconceptions about transmission were observed such as AIDS transmission by mosquito bite (30%), hugging (19%), eating with infected person (17.5%) or being a hereditary disease (16%). Only 18% know that condoms would protect from HIV infection and 28% knew that patients could look normal without symptoms. Only 45.2% of the students knew HIV testing site. By applying Logistic regression analysis, the predictors of higher knowledge score about HIV/AIDS were being a medical faculty student, higher (fourth) grade, urban residence and family/university as sources of information.
Conclusion and recommendation: University students AIDS related knowledge is inadequate. The role of university as an important source of raising awareness of the university students should be activated by including AIDS related topics into the curriculum and conducting counseling and health awareness sessions especially in non-medical faculties. Also, efforts should be directed to approach the youth families and youth residing in rural areas and raising their awareness.