High School Students’ Knowledge of AIDS

Abstract

The AIDS epidemic is a serious issue. With no cure currently existing, one of the best defenses against this disease is education and awareness. Is there a relationship between gender and knowledge? Will the level of knowledge increase with additional years of instruction? Can a student’s knowledge increase through outside materials? This master thesis explores all of these questions concerning high school students’ knowledge of AIDS. A survey was taken in a public high school within Monroe County New York. 79 ninth grade students and 77 eleventh grade students participated in a survey. The survey was composed of 35 questions testing the student’s knowledge about AIDS, and two questions pertaining to outside materials on AIDS. The results of the survey show that there is no significant difference between the level of knowledge and grade level, gender, or availability to outside materials.