ABSTRACT
This study aimed to build a baseline profile of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Iraqis toward HIV/AIDS. Questionnaire interviews were conducted in 2006 with 335 people attending HIV testing centres in Baghdad. Most respondents (82.7%) had heard about AIDS, mainly from the mass media (71.0%), and 91.9% knew that AIDS is an infectious disease, most commonly via sexual relationships (74.9%). There was no association between knowledge level and acceptance of caring for an HIV-positive relative or marrying an HIV-positive partner, but there was a significant association between low knowledge level and negative attitudes towards sharing food, sitting on the bus and working at the same place with an HIV-positive individual.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , HIV Infections , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , AIDS Serodiagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Community Health Centers , Cross-Sectional Studies , Educational Status , Female , HIV Infections/epidemiology , HIV Infections/prevention & control , HIV Infections/transmission , Health Education , Humans , Iraq/epidemiology , Male , Mass Media , Middle Aged , Prejudice , Risk Factors , Stereotyping , Surveys and Questionnaires , Urban Health/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
This study aimed to build a baseline profile of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Iraqis toward HIV/AIDS. Questionnaire interviews were conducted in 2006 with 335 people attending HIV testing centres in Baghdad. Most respondents [82.7%] had heard about AIDS, mainly from the mass media [71.0%], and 91.9% knew that AIDS is an infectious disease, most commonly via sexual relationships [74.9%]. There was no association between knowledge level and acceptance of caring for an HIV-positive relative or marrying an HIV-positive partner, but there was a significant association between low knowledge level and negative attitudes towards sharing food, sitting on the bus and working at the same place with an HIV-positive individual
