Knowledge about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus of students from the communes of Coyhaique, Aysén and Cisnes.

Abstract

Introduction: In Chile, the incidence of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has registered an increase of 173% between the years 2010 and 2019, with 15 thousand people carrying the virus without knowing it, highlighting the adolescent population. In the Aysén Region, between 2016 and 2017 the increase was 81%. The main factor of this rise is the lack of adequate information on sexuality, so the objective of the study was to describe the knowledge about HIV of adolescent students from the districts of Coyhaique, Aysén and Cisnes.

Material and method: cross-sectional descriptive study, non-probabilistic convenience sampling, to 445 students from 14 to 19 years of age from the Aysén Region, to whom the adapted Ballester et al AIDS Prevention Questionnaire and a characterization survey were applied sociocultural and substance use.

Results: 45.6% consume alcohol, 24.7% tobacco and 19% marijuana. 80% have received information on contraceptive methods, sexually transmitted infections and specifically on HIV/AIDS, 90.1% have been informed, recognizing forms of transmission and myths. 30.5% know that it is transmitted through breastfeeding or sharing a razor (31.7%), 33.4% think that it can be infected through urine, most of them know that to detect the disease, a blood test is necessary (80.3%), and they state that they know the place where it can be done (61.6%).

Conclusions: the information received is considered deficient or regular, ignoring fundamental aspects in prevention such as the window period and the constant use of male condoms.