HIV-Related Risk Behaviors Among the General Population: A Survey

Abstract

This article, although from a different continent, confirms the fact that people in the general population, but not exclusively so, do not perceive themselves at risk of acquiring HIV infection, even when they have had unprotected sex with strangers. This calls for targeted HIV and AIDs communication. In addition, they do not avail themselves for HIV counselling and testing, boasting that they are not sex workers, whom they see as the subgroup of the community that gets AIDs, yet in my experience the clients come from the general population. Young people are even more at risk because they are exploratory, e.g. in Kenya young men brag about the women they have conquered, that is, ones they have had sex with, thus considering themselves "real men". This article demonstrates that targeted HIV and AIDs communication should be provided consistently and comprehensively. This should be repeated and achieved through the use of different methods.