AIDS-related Knowledge Measure (Seha, Klepp, & Ndeki, 1994)

• Populations: Adolescents
• Age ranges: Range not reported, M by sex: boys: 14.1, girls 13.5
• Languages: Swahili, English
• Countries: Tanzania

Items

Subscales:

• AIDS Information Sources: 6
• AIDS communication: 5
• AIDS knowledge: 19
• Attitudes towards having sexual intercourse: 5
• Social norms regarding sexual intercourse: 5
• Self-efficacy to avoid being pressured into having sex: 3

Items by subscale:

AIDS Information Sources

Item stem: Have heard or read about AIDS from:

• radio
• newspaper / magazine
• public posters
• school teachers / students
• doctor or health worker
• religious leader

AIDS Communication

Item stem: Have talked about AIDS with:

• Parents
• Friends
• school teachers / students
• doctor or health worker
• religious leader

AIDS Knowledge

Item Stem: A person can get infected:

• by shaking hands with someone who has the virus
• and not show signs of the disease 
• by having unsterilized injections 
• by having sex with someone who has the virus 
• by wearing clothes used by an Infected person 
• by being bitten by a mosquito which has fed on a person with the virus
• by hugging someone who has the AIDS virus 
• by receiving a blood transfusion 

Further items on AIDS knowledge not using the item stem:

• Most people with the AIDS virus will die as a result 
• A healthy looking person with the virus can pass it on 
• A pregnant women can pass the virus on to her baby 
• AIDS can be cured if detected early 
• There is a vaccine which can prevent people from getting AIDS 
• There are tests that can show if a person has the AIDS virus 
• One can tell if a person has the AIDS virus by the way he or she looks 
• Condoms can prevent infection by the virus 
• Many sex partners increases the risk of getting Infected with the AIDS virus
• A person can change his/her behavior to reduce the risk of getting the AIDS virus

Attitudes Toward Having Sexual Intercourse

• I would feel more grown-up if I had sexual intercourse 
• Trying to have sex would be very exciting 
• I would like to have sex if I am in love 
• Having sex would be the best way to tell someone I am in love 
• I’d rather risk getting AIDS than miss having sex with an attrac­tive stranger

Social Norms Regarding Sexual Intercourse

• My parents would be upset if they found out that I am having sex
• My relatives would be upset if they found out that I am having sex
• If I had sexual intercourse, people would have less respect for me
• My best friend thinks it is all right if I have sex 
• Most of my friends think I should have sexual intercourse 

Self Efficacy to Avoid Being Pressured Into Having Sex

• I can resist pressure to have sex 
• I don’t have to have sex if I don’t want to 
• If I decide, I can wait until I get older before having sexual intercourse

Responses

Items used a 5 point Likert-type scale, 1 = “I strongly agree”, 5 = “I strongly disagree”

Scoring

Not Reported

Citations

Seha, A. M., Klepp, K., Ndeki, S. S., (1994). Scale reliability and construct validity: a pilot study among primary school children in northern Tanzania. AIDS Education and Prevention, 6(6). 524-534. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7702963/