Characteristics of African-American college students with HIV/AIDS

This article examines the risky sexual behaviors, condom and drug usage, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and attitudes of African-American college students with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is the precursor of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). A total of 408 (199 males, 209 females) African-American college students, representing 75% of the students enrolled in a southern university, were surveyed. The results revealed that 3.18% of the students reported having HIV/AIDS. The students with HIV/AIDS exhibited significant deficits in AIDS knowledge, particularly information concerning the transmission of HIV/AIDS. While subjects with HIV/AIDS did not differ from subjects without HIV/AIDS with regard to their perceived risk of being exposed to AIDS or their attitudes about using condoms, a significantly larger percentage of subjects with HIV/AIDS reported that they "always" used condoms with their partner. Nevertheless, subjects with HIV/AIDS were more likely to engage in anal intercourse, experience sex with prostitutes, and use drugs. Sexually transmitted diseases were more prevalent among subjects with HIV/AIDS, and syphilis was found to be the best predictor of HIV/AIDS.