HIV-related knowledge and sexual behavior among college students in Tianjin

Objective To understand the current status of HIV-related knowledge and behaviors among college students in Tianjin,and to provide reference for the promotion of HIV-related health education.Methods A cross-sectional online study was conducted among college students in Tianjin in November 2016 by using anonymous questionnaires.Results A total of 10 138 college students were recruited.The overall awareness rate of HIV-related knowledge was 71.0%,1 532 (15.1%) respondents reported previous sexual experiences,among whom 51.4% always used a condom with their sex partner.And 28.2% had their first sexual intercourse before 18 years of age,and the rate of male students was higher than that of female students (33.2% vs 22.0%,x2 =16.904,P<0.01),the rate of undergraduate was higher than that of postgraduates (33.6% vs 28.2%,x2 =4.216,P<0.05),the rate of students from Tianjin was higher than that of those not(35.1% vs 27.9%,x2 =6.955,P<0.05).About 1.8%(180) students had sought sex partners in the past 12 months,among whom 27.8% did not use a condom with their last casual sex partner.About 1.6% (81) of boys had sex with a male partner in the past 12 months.Conclusion College students in Tianjin are lack of a general idea of HIV-related knowledge,and part of them had risk sexual behaviors implying potential HIV transmission.It is needed to strengthen HIV-related health education and behavior intervention at colleges.