HIV knowledge, attitude, and practices among nursing students in Guntur city

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has become one of the dreadful health problems in the world. An integrated approach is strongly suggested for creating knowledge, attitude, and awareness to control the spread of HIV/AIDS among healthcare workers. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of nursing students toward provision of care for HIV/AIDS-affected people. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students attending four nursing colleges in Guntur city, Andhra Pradesh. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding knowledge, attitude, and practices in provision of care for HIV patients. Of 1012 students, a total of 839 students agreed to participate in the study, of which 800 completely filled questionnaires were returned and subjected to statistical analysis. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20 software and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Approximately 96.37% of students were aware that sexual intercourse can spread HIV/AIDS, whereas only 47.75% had knowledge on spread of HIV through tattooing. In total, 37.25% erroneously believe that salivary contact can spread HIV/AIDS. Around 20.37% of the study participants reported that they would not prefer to care for HIV patients. Approximately 50.75% of females and 54.17% of males expressed their apprehension of being exposed to HIV/AIDS at work. Conclusion: A majority of nursing students had adequate knowledge, and few students held discriminatory attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS.