www.theinternationaljournal.org > RJSSM: Volume: 04, Number: 02, June 2014 Page 184 Awareness of AIDS among Students Meera Padhy, Assistant Professor, Centre for Health Psychology, University of Hyderabad, Central University P.O., Hyderabad – 500046 (India), email ID: meerapadhy@yahoo.com Ruth Angiel Padiri & Durgesh Nandinee Ph.D. Scholars, Centre for Health Psychology, University of Hyderabad, Central University P.O., Hyderabad – 500046 (India). Abstract Given the large scale AIDS-awareness campaigns in schools and colleges; it is assumed that every educated youth has some knowledge about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). On this assumption the objective of the study was to find out AIDS risk knowledge among students and to see the differences in knowledge and awareness between the senior and junior students. A cross sectional study using “The AIDS Risk Knowledge Test” developed by Kalichman (1995) was administered to 780 students (403 Post Graduates and 377 Under Graduate students) of University of Hyderabad. The results indicated that the students showed significant level of awareness. However, no significant difference in knowledge and awareness was found between the senior and junior students. Keywords: AIDS, awareness, AIDS risk knowledge Introduction Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) researchers are projecting an estimated 65 million deaths from AIDS by the year 2020, more than triple the number who died in the first 20 years of the epidemic unless the major efforts toward primary prevention or major developments in treatment take place (Altman, 2002).The worldwide prevalence of this deadly disease is increasing at an alarming rate. Currently AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. It is a worldwide epidemic with 2.7 million new infections and 2 million deaths annually (UNAIDS, 2009). The magnitude of the AIDS threat is astounding (UNAIDS, 2009); tens of millions of victims have died around the world, over 33 million people are currently infected with HIV, and millions are newly infected each year. The likelihood of becoming infected and developing AIDS depends on the person’s age, gender, and sociocultural background. Worldwide, there are over 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS, and over 16% of newly infected individuals per year are children(UNAIDS,2009). The Government of India estimates that about 2.40 million Indians are living with HIV (1.93 ‐ 3.04 million) with an adult prevalence of 0.31% (2009). Children (<15 yrs) account for 3.5% of all infections, while 83% are the in age group 15-49 years. India’s highly heterogeneous epidemic is largely concentrated in only a few states — in the industrialized south and west, and in the north‐ east. The four high prevalence states of South India (Andhra Pradesh – 500,000, Maharashtra – 420,000, Karnataka – 250,000, Tamil Nadu – 150,000) account for 55% of all HIV infections in the country. It is a general assumption that almost every educated person has some knowledge of AIDS. However these individual perceptions are sometimes limited and sometimes without proper focus on all the facets of AIDS. However, despite the improved knowledge about HIV, most of the students of universities / colleges that participated in these studies were found to be engaging in risk behaviors including casual sex, multiple concurrent sexual intercourse, and sex in exchange for favors predispose them to risks of HIV and related reproductive health problems. Moreover, a significant number of participants in these studies have misconceptions about transmission and protection of HIV (Xiaoming et al., 2004, Bimbola & Florence, 2008) .