Objective and Subjective Knowledge and HIV Testing Among College Students

Little research has been conducted on the knowledge domain specifically related to HIV testing among college students. Students (age 18–24) were recruited from a major university in the southeastern United States to participate in a Web-based survey during spring 2003 (N=440). About 21% of the students reported previous voluntary HIV tests. Reliability of the overall knowledge test demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha=0.71). Students scored higher on items related to HIV/AIDS in general (percentage correct=82.3%) and lower on items related to HIV testing (percentage correct=70.8%). Subjective rating on HIV testing knowledge (mode=low) was also lower than that of HIV/AIDS in general (mode=medium). Although analyses of knowledge and prior testing revealed significant associations, when using both objective and subjective knowledge in predicting prior HIV testing, only subjective HIV testing knowledge revealed a significant coefficient (odds ratio=2.63). Results indicated both objective knowledge scores and subjective knowledge rating were low. Continued efforts on HIV education and prevention are needed among young college students. HIV prevention programs focusing on encouraging HIV testing should pay special attention to participants’ subjective knowledge related to HIV testing. The study has implications for using Web-based surveys to assess the effectiveness of Internet-delivered HIV prevention programs. Su-I Hou, DrPH, is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior at the University of Georgia, 309 Ramsey Center, 300 River Road, Athens, GA 30602.