Use of HIV/AIDS information sources and sexual behaviour of adolescents in a rural community in Southeastern Nigeria

Many studies examining the use of HIV/AIDS information sources abound; but these studies do not establish whether there exist few sources that provided much of the information about HIV/AIDS possessed by the respondents. The paper established those information sources that most provided HIV/AIDS information to 540 adolescents in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State Nigeria. The study showed further how the adolescents' personal and parental characteristics explained the use of the sources as well as the relationship between source use and adolescents' sexual behaviour. The result showed that handbills, television and friends were the most frequently used sources. Use of handbills is related to decreasing total number of sexual partners, and reduction in the chances that the respondent has ever had sex; while use of television relates to increased chances of ever having had sex, increased current number of sexual partners and decreasing use of condom during last sex. Friends relates positively to condom use during last sex and to ever had sex, age at first sex, last time had sex, and current number of sexual partners. Increased investment in the use of handbills and use of friends could not only significantly reduce government's budget for HIV/AIDS awareness among youth but could also lead to increased effectiveness in achieving the impartation of the right information.