Objetivo: Describir los conocimientos, percepciones y prácticas relacionadas a VIH/SIDA en adolescentes de un distrito de Lambayeque-Perú en el 2015. Materiales y métodos: Estudio transversal. Se encuestaron 677 alumnos de colegios públicos y privados seleccionados mediante muestreo polietápico por conglomerados mediante un cuestionario estructurado. Se exploró asociación entre variables sociodemográficas, el conocimiento y las prácticas. Resultados: Se encuestaron 353 mujeres (52,1%) y 324 hombres (47,9%); 37,4% fueron de tercero, 32,6% de cuarto y 29,9% de quinto; 61,3% fueron de colegios públicos y 38,7% de privados; 71,3% manifestaron que su conocimiento sobre VIH/SIDA era intermedio. La fuente de información más frecuente fueron las clases de colegio (68,09%); en conocimientos, las vías de contagio más reportadas fueron: relaciones sexuales con persona infectada (88,8%) y transfusión sanguínea (80,9%). En los públicos se halló mayor reporte de información por internet (p=0,019), que el contacto sexual con persona infectada (p=0,007) y las relaciones homosexuales aumentaban el riesgo de contagio (p=0,023). En los privados se halló mayor reporte de información por televisión (p=0,081) y que tener una sola pareja (p=0,013) y la abstinencia (p=0,004), disminuían el riesgo de contagio. Los hombres refirieron un mayor riesgo de contagio en relaciones sexuales con prostitutas y homosexuales (p=0,001) y (p=0,001), respectivamente. Conclusiones: Las clases de colegio y el internet son importantes fuente de información sobre VIH-SIDA. Los alumnos de colegios públicos tienen mayor conocimiento en los factores de riesgo y los de colegio privado mayor conocimiento en las formas de prevención del VIH-SIDA.

Objective: To describe knowledge, perceptions, and practices related to HIV / AIDS in adolescents from a district in Lambayeque during 2015. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional survey. We interviewed 677 students from public and private schools from Lambayeque, who were selected using a multi-stage complex cluster sampling. A structured questionnaire was administered. Associations between sociodemographic variables, knowledge and practices were explored. Results: Three hundred and fifty-three (52.14%) females and 324 (47.86%) males were interviewed. Thirty-seven (37.37%) were from third year in high school, 32.64% were from fourth year, and 29.99% were from fifth year. Nearly two thirds of all subjects (61.30%) were students from public schools; 483 (71.34%) declared their knowledge on HIV/AIDS was intermediate level. The most frequently reported information source was school classes (68.09%); with respect to knowledge, the infection routes most frequently reported were: sex with an infected person (88.77%) and blood transfusions (80.95%). Students from public schools declared their mostly used information source was the Web (p= 0.019), and they declared finding out that sexual contact with an infected person was a form of infection (p= 0.007) and that homosexual relationships increase the risk of infection (p= 0.023). Adolescents from private schools declared their most frequent information source was TV (p= 0.081), and they declared that having one sex partner (p= 0.013) and abstinence (p= 0.004) decreased the risk of HIV transmission. Males reported there is more risk for acquiring this infection thorough sex contact with prostitutes and homosexual men (p= 0.001 for both variables, respectively). Conclusions: School lectures and the Web are important information sources on HIV-AIDS. Public school adolescents have greater knowledge on risk factors, and those from private schools show better understanding on preventive measures against HIV-AIDS.