The Effect of Age on Knowledge of HIV/AIDS among African American Undergraduate Students

Objective: This study assessed the effect of age on HIV knowledge level among African American undergraduates at Jackson State University (JSU).

Methods: A total of 400 respondents were randomly selected from undergraduate students at JSU. A cross-sectional study design was utilized. Self-administered questionnaires regarding HIV knowledge level were used.

Results: Some respondents of this study had HIV knowledge gaps and misconceptions about the disease. This research results showed that majority of the students had good HIV knowledge level and there was no significant difference between students aged 18-24 and students aged 25 and above regarding HIV knowledge (P = 0.65).

Conclusions: Some knowledge gaps and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS were identified in this study. This research study suggests the use of drama and other social media messaging platforms that are more appealing to this vulnerable age group in the elimination of HIV knowledge gaps and misconceptions identified in this study.