Knowledge of and attitudes to HIV/AIDS of senior secondary school pupils and trainee teachers in Udupi District, Karnataka, India.
A cross-sectional descriptive study using a questionnaire with mostly closed-ended questions was carried out on 990 pupils and 46 trainee teachers to investigate their knowledge of and attitudes to HIV/AIDS. Pupils in one school were reassessed after a health talk and distribution of a handout. Despite having had no formal sex education, most respondents were reasonably well informed about the transmission of HIV. However, there were many misconceptions about transmission and prevention and 16.9% of pupils were found to possess very little knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Mass media, teachers and health workers were quoted as the main sources of knowledge. It was found that 24.3% pupils and 6.3% of trainee teachers thought there was a cure, and 27.4% of pupils and 14% of trainee teachers thought there was a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. Schools that were rural, private and English-speaking scored better, as did male students and schools teaching science. The necessity of formal sex education was expressed by 98.5% of pupils and all the trainee teachers. The pupils who were reassessed after receiving a talk and handout showed significant improvement in their knowledge and a change in attitude (p < 0.01). The mass media are important in disseminating knowledge on HIV/AIDS in India but due to the lack of inter-personal approaches to the education system, knowledge is inadequate and misconceptions exist.
Agrawal
H K
HK
Tropical Child Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK.
Rao
R S
RS
Chandrashekar
S
S
Coulter
J B
JB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology* / Q000635:transmission; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D012736:Sex Education; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching