There is a paucity of studies that have systematically and comprehensively
investigated the knowledge level, attitudes and the pattern of sexual behaviours
related to HIV and AIDS in higher education settings in sub-Saharan Africa in general
and Tanzania in particular. This study attempted to fill a void in knowledge. A crosssectional
descriptive design was used, employing a self-administered questionnaire as
the main data collection tool. More than 400 higher education students completed a
questionnaire assessing their knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to HIV and
AIDS. About three quarters of respondents demonstrated comprehensive knowledge
about HIV and AIDS, and the majority of respondents expressed positive attitudes
towards people living with HIV and AIDS. Despite demonstrating high knowledge
level about HIV and AIDS, the results show that sexual behaviours among students in
higher education are characteristically risky, and do not significantly differ from youth
in the general population.