HIV knowledge and risky sexual behavior of young adults in Johannesburg

South Africa has a stabilised yet high HIV epidemic. The most at risk population are youth between the ages of 15 and 24. By the termination of high school, it is estimated that over half the adolescents will have engaged in sexual intercourse, and there is a noticeable increase in the number of sexual partners and casual intercourse. This article explores the relationship between HIV knowledge and risky sexual behaviour among young adults in Johannesburg. This is a cross sectional, quantitative study using the HIV-KQ-18 self report measure to assess knowledge of HIV transmission.Risky sexual behaviour is defined according to indicators such as failure to use a condom, high number of sexual partners, as well as early sexual debut. The above factors were analyzed using summary statistics and nonparametric t-tests. 29.29% of the sample reported being sexually active. The average age of sexual debut was 17.79 years. A non-significant result was found when comparing levels of HIV knowledge in sexually active and not sexually active individuals. Just over 60% of the sexually active participants did not perceive themselves to be at risk for acquiring HIV. Fifty ive percent of sexually active individuals reported always using condoms while only 3% reported never using a condom. There is insufficient evidence to suggest that there is a difference in HIV knowledge among individuals who are and are not sexually active as levels of HIV knowledge were similar between virgins and non-virgins. Religion was the most common reason for delaying sexual debut. High levels of HIV preventative knowledge does not determine whether or not young adults decide to engage in sexual activity.Deeper explorations into the reasons that motivate the decision of young adults to engage in sexual activity is recommended for future research.