Factors associated with university students’ knowledge about HIV and pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze the factors associated with university students’ knowledge about HIV and pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with 503 university students from a southern state in Brazil; data were collected using a characterization tool and a questionnaire containing 16 statements about the topic; descriptive measures and Poisson regression models with robust variance were used for analysis. Results: the prevalence of adequate knowledge (i.e., scoring more than 12 correct answers) was 27.83%; students older than 24 years, enrolled in health-related courses, who had not engaged in sexual relations in the last quarter, with a history of rapid HIV testing, and who knew or had heard about the prophylaxes showed a higher likelihood of scoring more than 12 correct answers. Conclusions: generally, the knowledge of young people about HIV and its prophylaxes was found to be inadequate and influenced by sociodemographic, educational, and behavioral factors.