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KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE TOWARDS HIV/AIDS IN A RURAL KENYAN COMMUNITY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2005

MOHAMED KARAMA ,
TARO YAMAMOTO ,
MASAAKI SHIMADA ,
S. S. A. ORAGO  and
KAZUHIKO MOJI
MOHAMED KARAMA
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, Kenyatta University, Kenya Center for Public Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya
TARO YAMAMOTO
Affiliation:
Division of Aid Planning, Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MASAAKI SHIMADA
Affiliation:
Research Center for Tropical Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Japan
S. S. A. ORAGO
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, Kenyatta University, Kenya
KAZUHIKO MOJI
Affiliation:
Research Center for Tropical Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Japan
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Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore people’s knowledge, attitude, behaviour and practice towards HIV/AIDS and sexual activity in rural Kenya, where HIV is widespread. The study community was located in south-eastern Kenya, 50 km north of Mombassa, and had an estimated population of 1500. Subjects aged between 16 and 49 were recruited using a stratified cluster-sampling method and they completed self-administered questionnaires.Almost all respondents knew the word ‘HIV’. Around 50% knew of a person living with HIV. About 80% gave ‘death’ or ‘fear’ as words representing their image of AIDS. With regard to sexual activity, the distribution of answers to the question ‘how many partners have you ever had in your life’ was bimodal in males but had only one peak in females, indicating that some men have a large number of sexual partners in their lifetime. First sexual intercourse was at around 12–13 years for both sexes, but female teenagers were more sexually experienced than their male counterparts.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 38 , Issue 4 , July 2006 , pp. 481 - 490
Copyright
2005 Cambridge University Press

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