Assessment of Accessibility to Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Utilization among Federal Universities Students in Northern Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.202599Keywords:
HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), Accessibility, Students, Gender DifferencesAbstract
This study examined the accessibility to HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) utilization among federal universities students in Northern Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, descriptive survey research design was used. The population of the study comprised 421,436 federal universities students in Northern Nigeria. The sample size of 662 respondents was drawn from the population using a multi-stage sampling procedure, which includes cluster, simple random, proportionate and convenience sampling. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-structured closed-ended questionnaire named ‘Assessment of Accessibility to HIV VCT Utilization among Federal Universities Students in Northern Nigeria Questionnaire (AAHVUFUSNNQ)’ which was validated by five (5) experts in experts in the Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Department of Psychology and Counselling, and College of Medical Services in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The instrument was pilot-tested using Cronbach's Alpha, and a reliability coefficient of 0.884 was obtained. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percentage were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the respondents. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics of one-sample t-test and independent sample t-test were used to test the stated hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed a significant accessibility (t = 24.013; p = 0.000) regarding HIV VCT utilization among federal university students in Northern Nigeria, with gender-based differences in accessibility (t = 19.582; p = 0.000). The study concludes that federal university students in Northern Nigeria generally have good access to HIV VCT services, with female students having better access than their male counterparts. Based on the conclusion, the study recommends that federal university management should maintain and expand accessible HIV VCT services by increasing outreach and service points on campuses, and also assess and enhance outreach strategies to ensure equitable access for male students.
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