At Risk? Exploring the relationship between HIV-related knowledge and risky behavior in young females in Jamaica.

Young females are at three times higher risk of contracting HIV than their male counterparts in Jamaica. Using Jamaica’s 2004 Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviour and Practices survey, this research investigates factors contributing to HIV/AIDS-related risky behaviors of young females. Risk perception as a function of knowledge and as an influence on behavior is also examined. The findings reveal that only older females, 25 to 49 years, practice safer behaviors in response to increased knowledge. This highlights the disjunction between knowledge and behavior, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to addressing the social context within which adolescents are put at risk