Abstract

This paper established those information sources that mostly provided the information about HIV/AIDS to 540 adolescents in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. The study showed further, how the adolescents' personal and parental characteristics explained the use of the sources as well as the relationship between source use and adolescents' sexual behaviour. The result showed that handbills, television and friends were the most frequently used sources. Use of handbills is related to decreasing total number of sexual partners, and reduction in the chances that the respondent has ever had sex, while the use of television relates to the increased chances of ever having sex, although it increased the current number of sexual partners and the decreasing use of condom during last sex. Friends relates positively to condom use during last sex and if one has ever had sex, age at first sex, last time one had sex, and current number of sexual partners. Increased investment in the use of handbills and use of friends could not only significantly reduce government's budget for HIV/AIDS awareness among youth but could also lead to increased effectiveness in achieving the impartation of the right information.

Key words: Adolescent, HIV/AIDS, information sources, sexual behaviour, rural community, South-eastern Nigeria.