HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitude and practice among Dilla University Students, Ethiopia

The growing rate of educational institutions and student population at the tertiary level in Ethiopia is remarkable; this may lead to a corresponding increase to exposure to HIV/AIDS. Based on this orientation, this study estimated the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of HIV/AIDS among university students in Ethiopia. Four hundred forty one students were chosen through multi-stage probability sampling technique. Data was collected through five point measurement scale. One sample t-test and Structural Equation Modelling based on Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were employed for data analysis. It was found that the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitude, and practice were 53%, 95%CI = -.03- .06, p = .55; 58 %, 95%CI = .01- .10, p<.05; and = 92 %, 95%CI = .37- .42, p<.001 respectively. Apart from knowledge, the observed value of attitude and practice were higher than their corresponding expected values with the effect size, d = 0.12 for attitude and d = 0.82 for practice. Implications were discussed to assist students develop comprehensive knowledge and desirable attitude towards self-protective skills against HIV infection.Keywords: Knowledge, attitude, practice, HIV/AIDS, Ethiopia, University student