Sexual Risk Behavior Among Kenyan University Students

Previous HIV/AIDS assessments in Kenya have focused on the sexual risk behaviors of the general population and the HIV serostatus of women of childbearing age. No data are available for Kenyan university students. Baseline surveillance data were obtained from a representative sample of 1917 university students at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. Both qualitative (focus group discussions) and quantitative (self-administered questionnaire) data were collected. Students were asked about their HIV knowledge, perceptions, and sexual risk behaviors. Seventy-one % of males and 47.6% of females reported having had sex. Only 49% of university students reported any HIV/AIDS education. Of those who reported having ever had sex, 76% reported ever using a condom: only 18% of males and 14% of females reported using a condom every time they had sex in the last month. Eighty-nine% of students reported thinking they were at risk for HIV infection, but only 28% of subjects had been tested for HIV. Qualitative data suggest the issue of HIV testing remains very controversial among students, in large part because of societal stigma. The results of this study emphasize the vulnerability of university students to HIV infection. Most university students have not had access to accurate HIV/AIDS information. Sexual activity on campus is high and many students consider themselves at risk. Conversely, consistent condom use and rates of voluntary counseling and testing are low.