Trends and determinants of comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS among unmarried adolescents in Nigeria

Despite the establishment of “MyQuestion Database” to enhance adolescents access to sexual and reproductive health information in Nigeria, evidence has shown that comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS among adolescents in Nigeria is disappointingly low. Previous studies have seldomly gone beyond individual level factors to interrelated contextual factors that affect adolescents’ comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Using a three-level Multilevel Modelling, this study examines the individual, community and state level factors that influence unmarried adolescents’ comprehensive knowledge of HIV in Nigeria. The study is based on the secondary data analysis of the 2003-2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Surveys. Overall, the bivariate results show that comprehensive knowledge of HIV among unmarried adolescent somewhat doubled from 2003 to 2008 and a stall in 2013. The multilevel analysis results show that age, education, ethnicity and employment status predicted comprehensive knowledge of HIV, while the community and state level predicators were poverty level, HIV Stigma and exposure to family planning messages. 17.9% and 1.5% of the total unexplained variation in the odds of having comprehensive knowledge of HIV is attributable to community and state level factors. These findings strongly suggest the need to take the contextual level factors into account in designing HIV intervention programmes in the country