Youth's knowledge, perceptions and experiences on AIDS prevention: The case of Panda (Inhambane-Mozambique)

The overall aim of this thesis is to explore the knowledge, perceptions and experiences of young people in Panda on HIV/AIDS prevention. Specific objectives were defined to achieve this overall goal: to determine the respondents' level of knowledge about the HIV/AIDS virus and its transmission routes and how and where they acquired this information; to determine the respondents' level of knowledge about the treatment of the HIV/AIDS virus and how they view this disease; whether the respondents have knowledge about HIV/AIDS prevention methods and whether they are willing to use these methods; participants' attitudes towards HIV/AIDS cases at different stages that they see in their environment; whether participants discriminate against HIV/AIDS positive cases and whether HIV positive people themselves are subjected to discrimination or exclusion, and if so, how they experience this process. Based on qualitative research methods and through semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 14 young people aged 16-30 living in Panda. Of these, 9 had had sexual experience (4 had been infected with HIV/AIDS and 5 had not), while the remaining 5 had not had sexual experience. These participants were selected according to purposive sampling technique. Data collection was conducted online using WhatsApp calls. It was concluded that young people in Panda have a comprehensive knowledge about the HIV/AIDS virus. However, despite this, the IUD contributes negatively to the fight against the HIV/AIDS virus because many girls stop using condoms after opting for the IUD. HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination is a reality in families, schools and workplaces. Health workers lack professional confidentiality and, finally, language barriers negatively affect the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS information disseminated to the public.