title: HIV-Related Stigma and Discriminatory Attitudes among a Semi-Urban Population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stigma and discriminatory attitudes (SDAs) have a negative impact on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, testing, and treatment as well as on family and social networks. There is a lack of understanding about HIV-related SDAs among people living outside large cities. This study is aimed to determine the level of HIV-related SDAs among a semi-urban population in Malaysia and to compare the SDA results among people with different sociodemographic characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 106 respondents was generated by convenience sampling during the screening campaign in Alor Gajah, Malaysia. Data collection was carried out based on a pre-tested questionnaire via face-to-face interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than half of the respondents (62.3%) thought that an HIV-positive teacher should not be allowed to continue teaching at school; 81.1% were unsure or were unwilling to care for their family member with AIDS at home; 81.2% thought children with HIV/AIDS should not continue to be raised in families; and 77.3% thought they would not reveal if a family member had HIV/AIDS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Priority should be given to evidence-based interventions to reduce HIV-related SDAs. This study did not reveal any significant relationship between sociodemographic profiles and HIV-related SDAs. Therefore, further research with a larger sample size is needed to investigate the underlying causes of HIV-related SDAs.
authors.affiliation: Community Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Sungai Besi Prime Camp, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Halyna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lugova
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Sungai Besi Prime Camp, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Aye Aye
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mon
authors.affiliation: Community Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Sungai Besi Prime Camp, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Aqil Mohammad
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Daher
authors.affiliation: Community Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Defence Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Sungai Besi Prime Camp, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Adlina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suleiman
keywords: HIV/AIDS; Malaysia; attitude; discrimination; stigma