AIDS awareness of secondary school pupils in the Northern Province of South Africa

This study investigated AIDS awareness in secondary school pupils (mainly Northern Sotho and Xitsonga) in the Northern Province of South Africa. The randomly chosen sample included 622 Standard 9 pupils (254 boys and 368 girls) in the age range of 17 to 24 years (M of 19.3), who were administered a questionnaire on awareness of AIDS and socioeconomic status. Over 72% of the questions about AIDS were correctly answered, which suggests a:Fair amount of accurate information about AIDS; however, 18% were of the opinion that "AIDS does not exist" and 19% that "there is a cure for AIDS." Analysis of variance indicated no relationships for sex, age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status with correct answers.