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HIV/AIDS knowledge and health-related behaviors: a hearing vs. deaf or a boy vs. girl issue?
Abstract Content:
Background: Literature regarding deaf youths usually reports insufficient knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS, and that they are at greater risk of HIV infection compared to hearing youths.
Methods: This study was conducted in the South of Brazil with 42 deaf and 50 hearing students, 40 of which were boys and 52 were girls. Volunteers answered a self-administered computer-assisted questionnaire with simultaneous video translation to Brazilian Sign Language and a branched decision-tree structure. Data were analyzed using SPSS.
Results: Deaf participants had lower levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge and of school education. However, relevant differences in health-related attitudes and behaviors were not found except for the high rate of sexual abuse among the deaf youths (31%, p=<.001). Testing for gender effects revealed that it might be an important variable to consider. Gender differences were found in being sexually active (boys= 62.5%, girls=38.5%, p=.035), discussing sexual issues (girls talk more frequently with their mothers than boys do [Mann-Whitney U=664,00; p=.002]), visiting gynecologists/urologists (boys=17.5% , girls 61.5%, p<.001), and drug use (boys=20%, girls=3.8%, p=.018). No significant differences were found for either hearing vs. deaf or boys vs. girls in terms of sexual debut and sexual partnership.
Conclusions: Findings consistent with the literature regarding the deaf are the lower levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge and of school education and the high rates of reported sexual abuse. These results demonstrate a need to improve school based instruction, tailor health education to their communication needs and improve protection against sexual violence. Gender effects indicate that, even within the deaf community, youths are a heterogeneous group affected by several social determinants that must be considered when promoting health-related attitudes and behaviors for preventing HIV/AIDS.
Methods: This study was conducted in the South of Brazil with 42 deaf and 50 hearing students, 40 of which were boys and 52 were girls. Volunteers answered a self-administered computer-assisted questionnaire with simultaneous video translation to Brazilian Sign Language and a branched decision-tree structure. Data were analyzed using SPSS.
Results: Deaf participants had lower levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge and of school education. However, relevant differences in health-related attitudes and behaviors were not found except for the high rate of sexual abuse among the deaf youths (31%, p=<.001). Testing for gender effects revealed that it might be an important variable to consider. Gender differences were found in being sexually active (boys= 62.5%, girls=38.5%, p=.035), discussing sexual issues (girls talk more frequently with their mothers than boys do [Mann-Whitney U=664,00; p=.002]), visiting gynecologists/urologists (boys=17.5% , girls 61.5%, p<.001), and drug use (boys=20%, girls=3.8%, p=.018). No significant differences were found for either hearing vs. deaf or boys vs. girls in terms of sexual debut and sexual partnership.
Conclusions: Findings consistent with the literature regarding the deaf are the lower levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge and of school education and the high rates of reported sexual abuse. These results demonstrate a need to improve school based instruction, tailor health education to their communication needs and improve protection against sexual violence. Gender effects indicate that, even within the deaf community, youths are a heterogeneous group affected by several social determinants that must be considered when promoting health-related attitudes and behaviors for preventing HIV/AIDS.