Perception and Attitudes of Christian Youths towards Condom Use (Implications for HIV/AIDs

The study examined religiousity, perception and attitude towards condom use among Christian youths in Ile Ife, Nigeria with the aim of examining the implications on HIV/AIDs. A structured questionnaire based on Likert-type scales was employed to rate respondents’ attitudes. A total of 260 youths were interviewed, but 210 (80.8%) were found to be sexually active as at the time of the survey. Those who had sexual initiation before the age of 20 years were 42.9%, while less than 5% had ever gone for HIV test. Gender and level of religiousity were not significant predictors of age at first sex (p>0.05), but gender was a significant predictor of attitude towards sexual activeness (p<0.01).Also, level of religiousity was a significant predictor of attitude towards condom use and knowledge of HIV/AIDs prevention (p<0.05). The paper concludes that not all who comply publicly with religious doctrines does so in their privatewhere many sexual acts are negotiated and executed.