Evaluation of the self-care needs in knowledge, belief and behavior in male students regarding protection against HIV

Abstract

Introduction: Little information is available on the conditions and reproductive and sexual health needs of young men. Therefore, the need for self-care in this field among adolescents/young men seems to be necessary. We aimed to investigate the need for self-care related to the knowledge, beliefs and behavior of male students regarding the protection against of HIV. Material and methods: In a cross-sectional study, the male students were selected by random sampling about 350 among the male students of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Data collection tools included a demographic characteristics questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire on the self-care needs related to the knowledge, belief, and behavior regarding prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexual behaviors. Results: The first self-care priority in the domain of HIV knowledge was the following phrase: "Familiarity with the ways of rapid diagnosis of HIV by the individual", in the context of belief "Type, number, and duration of sexual intercourse do not influence the transmission of STIs" and in the domain of behavior "The need to be able to perform rapid HIV tests on my own". Conclusions: We recommend to health officials and universities to implement more effective and comprehensive interventions based on the needs of male students can increase the effectiveness of self-care programs in the field of reproductive, sexual health and practice for protection against HIV/STD in young men.