hiv/aids: knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour 2008 ghana demographic and health survey

HIV/AIDS: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviour

2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey

• HIV Knowledge• HIV-related Attitudes• HIV-related Behaviour• HIV Testing• HIV and Youth

Awareness of AIDS

98% of women and 99% of menhave heard of AIDS

Knowledge of HIV Prevention Methods

Percent who know HIV can be prevented by:

Knowledge of HIV Prevention by Education

Percent who know that HIV can be prevented by using condoms AND limiting sex to one HIV-negative partner

Knowledge of HIV Prevention by Region: Women

Percent of women who know that HIV can be prevented by using condoms AND limiting sex to one

HIV-negative partner

Ghana:69%Northern

54%

Volta76%

Ashanti68%

Brong Ahafo71%

Western65%

Eastern69%

Upper West55%

Central80%

Upper East66%

Greater Accra71%

Understanding Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

Percent who know that:

• HIV Knowledge• HIV-related Attitudes• HIV-related Behaviour• HIV Testing• HIV and Youth

Beliefs About HIV & AIDSPercent of women and men age 15-49 who say that:

*Comprehensive knowledge means knowing that using condoms and limiting sex to one uninfected partner can reduce the chances of getting HIV, knowing that a healthy looking person can have HIV, and rejecting the two most common local misconceptions about HIV prevention and transmission.

Comprehensive Knowledge of HIV

Percent of women and men age 15-49 with comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS*

*Comprehensive knowledge means knowing that using condoms and limiting sex to one uninfected partner can reduce the chances of getting HIV, knowing that a healthy looking person can have HIV, and rejecting the two most common local misconceptions about HIV prevention and transmission.

Accepting Attitudes Towards Those Living With HIV

Among women and men age 15-49 who have heard of HIV/AIDS, percentage expressing specific

attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS

Attitudes Towards Negotiating Safer Sex with Husband

Percent of women and men 15-49 who believe that, if a husband has a sexually transmitted infection, his wife is justified in:

• HIV Knowledge• HIV-related Attitudes• HIV-related Behaviour• HIV Testing• HIV and Youth

Multiple Sexual Partners

• Among those who had sex in the year before the survey:– 2% of women and 17% of men had 2 or more

sexual partners• Over the course of their lifetimes:– Women had an average of 2.0 sexual partners– Men had an average of 5.3 sexual partners

Higher-Risk Sex and Condom Use

Percent of women and men 15-49

• HIV Knowledge• HIV-related Attitudes• HIV-related Behaviour• HIV Testing• HIV and Youth

70% of women and 75% of men know where to get an HIV test.

Prior HIV Testing (ever)Percent of women and men 15-49

HIV Testing

• Among women, testing is most common in the Central, Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Brong Ahafo regions

• Among men, testing is most common in the Greater Accra and Upper East regions.

• Overall, testing is slightly higher in urban areas and increases with wealth and education.

• HIV Knowledge• HIV-related Attitudes• HIV-related Behaviour• HIV Testing• HIV and Youth

Comprehensive Knowledge of HIV among People 15-24

Percent of women and men age 15-24 with comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS*

*Comprehensive knowledge includes knowing that HIV can be prevented by using condoms and limiting sex to one uninfected partner, knowing that a healthy looking person can have HIV, and rejecting the two most common local misconceptions about HIV prevention and transmission.

Age at First Sex and Condom Use

• 44% of women 18-24 had sex before age 18• 28% of men 18-24 had sex before age 18• 25% of women 15-24 and 32% of men 15-24

used a condom at first sex

Premarital Sex and Condom Use

Among never-married people 15-24, percentage

Recent HIV Tests among People 15-24Percent of women and men 15-24 who have had sex in the past year and who received an HIV test in the past year

Key Findings

• 69% of women and 77% of men know that the risk of getting HIV can be reduced by using condoms and limiting sex to one uninfected partner.

• 23% of women and 42% of men have had higher-risk sex. Among these, 25% of women and 45% of men used a condom at last higher-risk sexual intercourse.

• 17% of women and 12% of men have ever been tested for HIV and received the results.

• 28% of women and 34% of men age 15-24 have comprehensive HIV knowledge.