Abstract:

Background: Even though the world is enjoying a fall in prevalence of new affected HIV from 3.2 million people in 2001 to 2.5 million in 2011 yearly worldwide from UNIADS report, but Tanzania is still facing a mature, generalized HIV epidemic. Recent data have reported an increase in HIV/AIDS prevalence among youths in Tanzania. About 50% of those infected with HIV are under the age of 24 years. The high proportion of cases of HIV/AIDS is in the 20-29 years of age group. A large proportion of them were infected during adolescence as they become sexually active during their teenage and have had unprotected penetrative sex. Studies done in past have shown low knowledge, negative perception and negative attitude towards condom use especially in boys as demonstrated by Comoro’s study 1995. At present, it is not well known whether a change in knowledge, perception and attitudes have occurred in the ward due to HIV/AIDS interventions going on. The study was aiming on knowledge, perception and attitude of the most affected group of HIV/AIDS on the use of condom as the primary preventive measure even though there are other ways of preventing HIV/AIDS transmission in Ilemela district.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, perception and practice of condom use as HIV preventive measure among youth in Ilemela district, Mwanza.

Methods: A descriptive and cross section study was conducted among 211 youth aged 15-24 years of age in Ilemela district. Systematic sampling technique of the schools and streets done and randomly approach eligible participants face to face interviews using structure questionnaire were used to collect data. SPSS version 17 was used for data entry and analysis.

Results: Of 211 responders the mean age was 20.0142, of them 100 (47.4%) were male and 111 (52.6 %%) were female, and of them 7 (0.33) had did not completed primary school, 21 (10%) had completed primary school, 164 (77.7%) are either in secondary school or completed secondary school and 19 (9%) had a universities level of education. And all individual has had about the use of condom as the preventive measure of HIV/AIDS, and 97.6% had knowledge on the use of condom, 37.9 use condom to prevent HIV/AIDS, 29.9% has a positive perception on the use of condom as HIV/AIDS preventive measure, 54.5% says condom prevents HIV/AIDS, religion has no role of knowledge of condom use and seminars is the main source of information on the use of condom as a preventive measures towards HIV/AIDS even though in most of the cases more than one source has observed.

Conclusion and recommendations: From this study it has been youth of Ilemela district hard already heard about condom use as the a preventive measure, and many of them had knowledge on the use of condom, and few has good perception on the use of condom as a preventive measure, and half of them believe that condom can prevent HIV/AIDS although some they believe it prevent pregnant and sexual transmitted disease but not HIV/AIDS.

So more education on the use of condom should be emphasized through seminars which has observed to be the main source of information of use of condom, also the knowledge should also be in school from primary to secondary because is during this period where most of them they becomes sexually active and they start doing sex blindly.