ABSTRACT
HIV/AIDS is a public health problem in the Sudan. The country is the most severely affected in North Africa and the Middle East with an estimated 500,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. The objectives of the study were to determine knowledge and attitude of the local population in selected states about HIV/ AIDS and to determine the relation between knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS and associated social factors. Design was descriptive, cross-sectional, community- based study conducted in Gezira, Sinnar, River Nile and Northen states. The population was those found in their settings during the visits in April 2009. Both sexes were enrolled and children below the age of 15 years of questionnaire and were analyzed by the computer using SPSS, version 13, soft ware. Knowledge of the population in the selected four states about HIV/AIDS was favorable [73%]. Tolerant attitude towards HIV-infected people was low [40%]. Results showed that males acquired better knowledge than females [76.2% versus 71.8%] but females were more tolerant towards HIV/AIDS than males [42% versus 37.4%]. Results showed that HIV/AIDS Knowledge graduates [92.6%] followed by basic and secondary [76.7%]. Illiterates acquired the least level of knowledge [42.4%]. The study showed that tolerance of population towards PLWHA increased according to the level of education. The university graduated was more tolerant [55.1%] than the basic/secondary [40.5%] and illiterates [21.9%]. It was shown that the single population was more tolerant towards PLWAH, followed by the married, the divorced and the widowed constituting 41.6%, 40.4%, 31.4% and 25% respectively. The study concluded that, level of knowledge was HIV/AIDS of the population in the selected states was good. Level of knowledge among males, the working force and the single population was higher than the females, those without jobs and the married. Level of HIV/AIDS knowledge increased according to the level of education, was higher among university graduates followed by basic / secondary and Illiterates. Attitude of the population in the selected states towards people living with HIV/AIDS "PLWHA" was low, only 40% had more tolerant attitude. Females, the highly educated and the working population were more tolerant towards HIV/AIDS than males, the less educated, and the nonworking population