Abstract

Objective: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a critical public health challenge and disproportionately affects young adults, racial minorities, and residents of the Southern United States. This study aimed to investigate HIV knowledge, risk perception, and testing behaviors among a sample of college students in South Carolina (SC). Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 256) from a large public university in SC. Methods: Participants completed a cross-sectional survey on HIV knowledge, testing behaviors, and attitudes. Results: More than one-third of participants displayed misunderstanding about HIV transmission. Less than 20% perceived themselves to be at-risk for HIV, and only 8% reported having ever been tested for HIV. In addition, a majority of participants (83%) reported they would feel ashamed if they acquired HIV. HIV knowledge was negatively correlated with HIV testing. Conclusions: Results indicate the need for HIV education among college students in SC to clear misconceptions, minimize knowledge gaps, reduce HIV-related stigma, and promote HIV testing.

摘要

目的：人类免疫缺陷病毒 (HIV) 仍然是一项重大的公共卫生挑战，对年轻人、少数民族和美国南部居民的影响尤为严重。本研究旨在调查南卡罗来纳州 (SC) 大学生样本中的 HIV 知识、风险感知和检测行为。参与者： 南卡罗来纳州一所大型公立大学的本科生 ( N = 256)。方法：参与者完成了一项关于 HIV 知识、检测行为和态度的横断面调查。结果：超过三分之一的参与者表现出对 HIV 传播的误解。不到 20% 的人认为自己有感染 HIV 的风险，只有 8% 的人报告曾接受过 HIV 检测。此外，大多数参与者 (83%) 报告说，如果他们感染了 HIV，他们会感到羞耻。HIV知识与HIV检测呈负相关。结论：结果表明需要在 SC 的大学生中进行 HIV 教育，以消除误解，最大限度地减少知识差距，减少与 HIV 相关的耻辱感，并促进 HIV 检测。