HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing Utilisation among School of Healthcare Sciences Undergraduate Students at the University of Limpopo

Abstract

Existing evidence indicates that South African university students have low utilisation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT). A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the utilisation of HIV VCT among undergraduate students in the School of Healthcare Sciences. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data through Google Forms. The results are presented through descriptions and percentages and illustrated in tables. Out of 389 undergraduate students, only 324 completed the questionnaire. The majority (97.2%) were aware of the health centre on campus, while only (74.7%) knew about the HIV VCT services offered on campus. Despite the awareness, many (36.7%) do not utilise the campus HIV VCT services, and some (9.6%) have never tested for HIV. There was an association between awareness of Voluntary Counselling and Testing of HIV services offered at the campus health and wellness centre and utilisation of HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing at (<0.001). Therefore, it is imperative to urgently escalate the level of HIV/AIDS education in higher institutions of learning and emphasise the mounting danger of HIV infection and the immense importance of regular HIV testing. The findings of this study could serve as a foundation for creating HIV prevention and control programmes for youth, particularly in higher education institutions.