Vulnerable women's self-care needs in knowledge, attitude and practice concerning sexually transmitted diseases

Background: vulnerable women are prone to sexually transmitted diseases [STD] due to their special conditions and poor knowledge about these diseases in the society. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the vulnerable women's self-care needs in knowledge, attitude and practice concerning STD

Methods: this is a cross-sectional-descriptive study conducted in 2014. The data collection was carried out using a self-administered structured questionnaire. 120 vulnerable women referring to centers affiliated to health and well-being center in Isfahan participated in this study. They were selected through proportional rationing sampling and filled out a researcher developed questionnaire containing information on personal characteristics, self-care knowledge, attitude, and practice needs toward the STD. The data were analyzed using statistical methods including Spearman and Pearson correlation co-efficient, independent t-test and ANOVA. All analyses were carried out using SPSS, 20

Results: based on the results, most of the subjects mentioned that their priorities of self-care needs in domains of knowledge, attitude and practice were "familiarization with the types and contamination ways of sexually transmitted diseases" [57.9%]; "diagnosis of STD only makes us anxious" [24.8], and "the method of washing the genital area before and after intercourse" 41.3%], respectively. There was a significant association among marital status, education, history of addiction, and self-care needs in domains of knowledge, attitude and practice [P<0.05]

Conclusion: results showed that vulnerable women not only knew their need about STD, but also paid attention to their attitude and practice needs toward STD. Therefore, educational programs should be designed and administrated by the experts, based on vulnerable women's self-care needs concerning their knowledge, attitude and practice to prevent and control STD in vulnerable individuals

Relationship between knowledge, attitude and tendency to care of HIV/AIDS patients among nurses and midwives, working in general hospitals and health care centers of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 2013

Knowledge and attitude of the nurses and midwives towards HIV/AIDS patients could affect the quality of care provision. Thus, this study aimed to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitude, and tendency of nurses and midwives towards caring for HIV/AIDS patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 303 nurses and midwives at healthcare centers, affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, using stratified sampling in 2013. All participants completed a four-section questionnaire including demographic data, knowledge about HIV/AIDS, attitude towards HIV/AIDS, and tendency to care for HIV/AIDS patients. For data analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient, t-test, and one-way ANOVA were performed, using SPSS version 16 As to the findings, 57% of the participants had insufficient knowledge, 98% had negative attitudes, and 86% had a moderate tendency to care for HIV/AIDS patients. A negative correlation was seen between HIV knowledge and attitude towards HIV patients [P=0.042, r=-0.58]. Also a significant relationship was observed between attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and tendency to provide care for these patients [P=0.011, r=0.78]. As the knowledge, attitude, and tendency to care for HIV/AIDS patients were not desirable among nurses and midwives, it is recommended that comprehensive courses be organized in order to change caregivers' knowledge, attitudes, and tendencies towards care provision for HIV/AIDS patients