Knowledge of AIDS and condom as a preventive measure against AIDS among married males and factors influencing it in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is now a global scourge of mankind. Nevertheless, Bangladesh is categorized as a low HIV prevalence country, from an epidemiological point of view, the HIV epidemic in Bangladesh is evolving rapidly. The majority of the studies on HIV/AIDS and condom use were carried out among the risk segment of people in the country. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of AIDS and use of condoms among general population for prevention of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh. METHODS: Both quantitative and qualitative study designs were adopted in this study. Cross-sectional data were collected from rural and urban areas. Married males aged 20 years and above constituted the study population. Data on 524 male respondents were analyzed using SPSS software version 11.5. For qualitative data, selective in-depth interview was done using unstructured guidelines. RESULTS: Analysis indicated that 26 of the respondents had no knowledge about AIDS. More than one-fifth 23 had poor, 26 had well and 25 had excellent knowledge on AIDS. Only 29 reportedly mentioned that condom might be a preventive measure against AIDS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that urban residents with access to electronic and printed media, better socioeconomic condition and service holders appeared to be significantly associated with knowledge of condom as a preventive measure for AIDS p<0.05. However, in the social context, the respondents had different views about use of condom as a preventive measure against AIDS. CONCLUSION: Useful and fruitful media campaigns to educate the people regarding the health consequences of STDs including HIV/AIDS and integrated approach is strongly suggested for disseminating knowledge and awareness to control the spread of HIV/AIDS among people in Bangladesh.