Factors affecting Young People in utilizing HIV/AIDS Services

This comparative study on factors affecting young people in utilizing HIV/AIDS services used data obtained from Africa Youth Alliance (AYA) project of UNFPA. This study investigated HIV service utilization, variations in HIV service utilization, reasons for non-use of HIV/AIDS services (condom use, counseling & testing) and attitude towards use of condoms. The results indicate that condom use among was low (24%). The reasons for this low were trust from their partners, refusal by sexual partners to use condoms and lack of condoms. The attitude towards condoms had changed and many adolescents looked at people who use condoms to be protective (60%) and 43% had used condoms for HIV prevention. Education level was influential in affecting condom use. The counseling service utilization is still very low due to inconvenient locations and cost. The HIV testing service was still low because young people considered themselves to HIV negative (no need to be tested), fear of test results and also not being sexually active. All in all, age, education level, occupation and residence were very influential in affecting HIV testing and condom use as shown by logistic regression models