Abstract :
Introduction: In this world of 7.2 billion people, 1.2 billion live in India and out of these, 243 million,
i.e., 20.9% of the population are adolescents, between 10 and 19 years, as per 2011. This makes
India the world’s largest adolescent-living country. As per WHO, HIV is the second leading cause of
death among adolescents. In Dist. Bathinda, 99,595 people were tested out of which 1339, i.e.,
1.34% were found to be positive till February 2014. Hence school education has been described as a
‘social vaccine,’ and it can serve as a powerful preventive tool. In India, there is a wide gap between
the inputs in the HIV/AIDS curriculum for schools and the actual education that is imparted.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents (14 to 19 years)
in three randomly chosen co-educational schools in Bathinda. Adolescents from 14 to 19 years in
randomly chosen schools were included in the study. A pre-designed, pre-structured, pre-tested
questionnaire was introduced to the participants by the interviewer in English and Hindi. Privacy of
the schools and the participants was maintained by not mentioning their names anywhere in the
study. Data was collected regarding knowledge, attitude and prevalence regarding HIV/AIDS.
Keyword :
Adolescents, School, HIV/AIDS, KAP