Knowledge and attitude about human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome among married men in Kangrali, India: A Cross-Sectional study Khandekar Sagar G.1,*, Walvekar Padmaja R2 1Institute of Public Health, J. N. Medical College, KLE University, Belgaum, Karnataka, India 2Department of Community Medicine, J. N. Medical College, KLE University, Belgaum, Karnataka, India *Corresponding Author: Dr. Sagar G. Khandekar Institute of Public Health, J. N. Medical College, KLE University, Belgaum, 590003, Karnataka, India Phone: 9972478176 Email: drsagar.mph@gmail.com
Online published on 25 September, 2018. Abstract Background and Objective Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease, which lacks curative treatment as well as vaccine. The only option to halt the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIv) is to increase the knowledge of people regarding its modes of transmission and prevention and help people change their high-risk behavior. The present study has been undertaken in a rural area, Kangrali subcenter of Handignur, to determine the knowledge and attitude of rural married men regarding HIv/AIDS. Materials and Method A ten-month cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 married men residing in Kangrali, India selected randomly. Ethical clearance was obtained from the IEC. Socio-demographic data and knowledge about different aspects of HIv/AIDS was obtained using a predesigned, pretested questionnaire. Results Out of 400 selected married men, all had heard about HIv/AIDS. Majority (68.25%) of them learnt about AIDS from mass media. Majority (60.25%) knew that HIv/AIDS gets transmitted by sexual contact. Knowledge on prevention of HIv/AIDS by using condoms was known to only 10.25%; whereas prevention by avoiding multiple sex partners was known to 43.75% of participants. About 63% of men's attitude was to give support to HIv-positive patients, whereas 5.25% of men had negative attitude towards HIv-positive patients. Conclusion This study revealed that knowledge and attitude score about HIv/AIDS in married men was significantly associated with the age, literacy level, socioeconomic status, occupation, and type of family. Top Keywords HIV/AIDS, knowledge, attitude, married men, rural area. Top |