Condoms Rejected In the Heat Of Lovemaking

A study conducted on the extent of knowledge of adolescents about HIV/AIDS has shown that although they are aware of condoms and their uses, they are reluctant to use them because “they were in too much of a hurry to think about condoms.”

The study also reveals that adolescent boys and girls would do anything possible including committing suicide, upon the realisation that they were infected with the virus. The study, which is conducted by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Ghana Chapter, between July and August 2002, was presented at a dissemination workshop last Friday. It was funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ghana, and covered respondent from 17 districts throughout the country.

The Co-ordinator of FAWE Ghana Chapter, Mrs Vida Yeboah, explained the rationale for the study. She said the study, which focused more on adolescent girls, stemmed from the disturbing realisation that adolescents are reaching puberty earlier and are engaging actively in sex – thus making them more vulnerable to the disease. This, she noted, is against the background of a United Nations report which reveals that majority of the world’s youth are clueless about the mode of transmission of HIV/AIDS and prevention methods. The study also sought to ascertain the sources of the respondents’ knowledge on HIV/AIDS and the hindrances they encountered in trying to access information on the disease. It respondents know about HIV/AIDS, they were unaware that it was sexually transmitted infection.

Incredible as it may seem, as many as 27 out of 340 female respondents believed that HIV/AIDS was curable. An off-held misconception revealed in the study cited ‘eating too much raw meat’ as a sign that a person had contracted the disease. The study also offered recommendations for stakeholders, including policy makers to make appropriate interventions on this issue. It stressed the need for the intensification of education on HIV/AIDS, particularly for adolescent boys and girls. It also called for the encouragement of reading skills among respondents, a few of whom cited the newspaper as their source of HIV/AIDS information, and also suggested the incorporation of HIV/AIDS into school syllabuses.