By Dianne Garcia
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) awareness among the Filipino youth dropped to all-time low, a study conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) found.
Based on UPPI’s 2021 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study, 76% of young Filipinos aged 15 to 24 have heard of HIV and/or AIDS, 19% points drop from 1994 when awareness stood at 95%.
“This sustains the decrease in 2013, when the share of youth who have heard of HIV and/or AIDS declined to 83% from 95% in 2002,” UPPI noted.
UPPI also examined the percentage of those with comprehensive knowledge of HIV based on standardized statements consisting of a mix of correct information and misconceptions about the virus.
The research, UPPI furthered, found that 52% of youth incorrectly believed that a person can get HIV by sharing food with someone who is infected.
About two in five, meanwhile, did not believe that a healthy-looking person can have HIV.
The study also revealed that 35% of young people refused to believe that a person can reduce the risk of getting HIV infection by using a condom during sex.
“In all, only one in five youth has comprehensive knowledge of HIV. The percentage significantly changed among women, from 16% in 2013 to 19% in 2021, but not among men, which only slightly changed from 18% in 2013 to 19% in 2021,” UPPI said.
“Low awareness and insufficient knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS can stall efforts to arrest the number of HIV infections in the Philippines, which has the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region.” – gb
