HIV health literacy and knowledge of young adults studying at a US university

Abstract

Health literacy is an individual’s understanding of and ability to make decisions related to health information. High levels of health literacy are beneficial in making informed health-related decisions. Knowledge related to HIV is relevant to society as >36 million individuals are estimated to be living with HIV worldwide. This research study explored HIV knowledge of young adults enrolled at a university in the US. Study participants (N = 105) completed the Brief HIV-Knowledge Questionnaire. While the mean survey score was 77%, participants aged 18–19 years scored an average of 54%. Those who had been tested for HIV scored significantly higher than those who had not been tested. Moreover, 64% reported having an HIV-negative status but only 39% reported having been tested for HIV. The results indicate that HIV education related to transmission, protection, and testing are needed.