Students’ Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and Stigmatisation of People Living with HIV/AIDS at a Semi-rural South African University

Research on HIV/AIDS remains a necessity as millions of people still live with the disease, and it continues to have a high impact on many communities in South Africa.

To investigate knowledge of HIV/AIDS and stigmatisation of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) amongst a sample of tertiary education students.

In this investigation, a quantitative approach was used with a cross-sectional survey design. The aim of the study was to investigate knowledge of HIV/AIDS and stigmatisation of PLWHA amongst a sample of tertiary education students. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of three sections. The first section collected demographic information. Thereafter, two standardised and validated survey tools were used, namely the HIV/AIDS Knowledge Scale (α=0.75) and the HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale (α=0.81).

In this study (N=180), 59.4% were male and 40.6% female. Overall, 61% demonstrated adequate/good knowledge of HIV/AIDS, while 39% had poor/inadequate knowledge. Chi-square tests indicated no significant gender difference in knowledge (x²=0.25, p=0.05), but a significant gender difference in stigma was found (x²=3.95, p=0.01). Effect sizes were small to moderate (Cramér’s V=0.12–0.18).

It must be noted that the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference. Findings are associations only and may be influenced by unmeasured confounding variables. Nonetheless, the study findings suggest that there are gaps in students’ knowledge about HIV/AIDS. This may explain that students with adequate to good knowledge pertaining to HIV/AIDS stigmatise PLWHA. This is because their overall knowledge about HIV/AIDS is likely to be incomplete, although generally good.

It is recommended that HIV/AIDS workshops on the campus take place, and more research in different educational contexts, such as schools, is required in South Africa.