Is Regular Access to Internet Services Associated with Comprehensive Correct HIV/AIDS Knowledge among People Aged 15–49 Years in Nigeria? Findings from the 2018 Demographic Health Survey

Abstract

Regular internet access is suggested to facilitate Comprehensive Correct HIV/AIDS Knowledge (CCAK). We assessed this association using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey data, including 30,784 participants. CCAK was defined as knowing two primary HIV prevention methods, healthy-looking persons can have HIV, and rejecting two HIV misconceptions. Regular internet access was defined as at least weekly internet access. Using survey-featured multivariable logistic regression, we assessed this association. Overall, 49.6% (12,385) of participants had CCAK, while 17.4% (4,080) had regular internet access. People with regular internet access had higher odds of CCAK (aOR 1.55, 95% CI 1.38 − 1.73), confirming the association.

Keywords:

• Comprehensive HIV knowledge
• demographic and health survey
• HIV
• internet access
• Nigeria

Ethical approval

Ethical approval for this publicly available data was covered by item 7.10.3 in University of British Columbia’s Policy #89: Research and Other Studies Involving Human Subjects and Article 2.2 of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and material

Data is publicly available from Demographic and health survey at https://dhsprogram.com/

Code availability

Available on reasonable request to [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ihoghosa Iyamu

Dr. Ihoghosa Iyamu is a PhD student at the UBC School of Population and Public Health, and is on the research staff at the Center for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS). He trained as a physician and has over 7 years of experience in operations research and program evaluation in global health settings in Nigeria and Canada. His research focus is on digital health interventions targeted at marginalized populations.

Edward Adekola Oladele

Dr. Edward Adekola Oladele is a specialist community/public health physician, a fellow of the Nigeria National Postgraduate Medical College (Faculty of Public Health) and member of the West African College of Physicians. He studied International Public Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and has a second Master’s degree in Project Development and Implementation from the University of Ibadan. His work focuses on implementation science and technical support in large-scale projects in low and middle-income countries.

Ejemai Eboreime

Dr. Ejemai Eboreime is a public health physician and Health Systems & Policy Specialist. His interests include applying implementation/improvement science methods for evidence-based Primary Healthcare planning in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

Mohammad Ehsanul Karim

Dr. Mohammad Ehsanul Karim is an Assistant Professor at the UBC School of Population and Public Health, and a Research Scientist at the Center for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS). He obtained his PhD in Statistics from the University of British Columbia. During his PhD, he was awarded a fellowship from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada that funded his doctoral research for three years. His current research focuses on causal inference and observational data analyses, in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.