An Analytical Comparison of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding HIV/AIDS Among Medical and Non-Medical Students in Iran

Reyhaneh Pourjam; Zahra Rahimi Khalifeh Kandi; Fatemeh Estebsari; Farank Karimi Yeganeh; Mehdi Safari; Mohadaseh Barati; Davoud Mostafaei

doi:10.2147/HIV.S242784

An Analytical Comparison of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding HIV/AIDS Among Medical and Non-Medical Students in Iran

HIV AIDS (Auckl). 2020 Apr 28:12:165-173. doi: 10.2147/HIV.S242784. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Reyhaneh Pourjam¹, Zahra Rahimi Khalifeh Kandi², Fatemeh Estebsari³, Farank Karimi Yeganeh⁴, Mehdi Safari⁵, Mohadaseh Barati⁶, Davoud Mostafaei⁷

Affiliations

¹ Student Research Committee, Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Health Education, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Community Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Master of Science in Demography, Azna Health Network, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Lorestan, Iran.
⁵ Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Education and Emergencies, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁶ Student Research Committee, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁷ Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Young people are the main group at risk of HIV/AIDS due to factors such as curiosity, peer pressure, lack of knowledge and skills, unsafe sexual behaviors, and drug abuse. The present study was conducted to compare the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding HIV/AIDS among medical and non-medical students in Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted on a population consisting of the students of Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU). A total of 303 students were randomly selected from the two universities. Data were collected using a researcher-made HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitude, and practice questionnaire. Data were then analyzed using the independent t-test, Mann-Whitney's U-test, the ANOVA, and the Kruskal-Wallis test in SPSS-18. P<0.05 was set as the level of significance for all the tests.

Findings: The frequencies of marital status, education, smoking, alcohol and psychotropic substance use, employment status, and source of information differed significantly between the medical and non-medical students. There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding knowledge (P<0.001) and practice (P=0.019) regarding HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of their attitude toward HIV/AIDS (P=0.503). The results of the ANOVA revealed a significant correlation between marital status and practice (P=0.022), education and attitude (P=0.004), and smoking and knowledge (P=0.008) among the medical students. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between the demographic variables and knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding HIV/AIDS among the non-medical students (P>0.005).

Conclusion: The present findings showed that designing and developing appropriate educational programs, offered through group media, scientific seminars, courses, lectures, and group discussions, can be effective in enhancing the students' knowledge and changing their attitudes and should be incorporated into healthcare programs.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS; attitude; knowledge; practice; students.