Study on HIV related knowledge and attitude among out-of-school youth in Shanghai

Objective To investigate HIV related knowledge and attitude among out-of-school youth in Shanghai.Methods Four hundred out-of-school adolescents were selected randomly in Changning District of Shanghai for a cross-sectional survey and were interviewed with questionnaires.Results The awareness rate of HIV knowledge was 62.25% among out-of-school youth in Shanghai;the awareness rate of main HIV transmission routes was higher,but the awareness rate of non-transmission routes was relatively poor.The major sources of HIV knowledge were TV / radio(85.25%),newspaper / magazine(71.25%),internet(56.75%) and educational pamphlets(53.35%).Nearly 20%of the subjects had discrimination and stigma attitude toward HIV infectors,and only 3.5% of them received HIV antibody testing.Of the surveyed youth 95% were willing to learn about HIV related knowledge.Conclusion HIV related health education should be strengthened among out-of-school youth and relevant behavioral interventions should be implemented among them to meet their specific needs.