Relationship between knowledge about HIV/AIDS and preventive action against in medical and dentistry students

Relationship between knowledge about HIV/AIDS and preventive action against in medical and dentistry students
Alireza Kheradmand,¹ Kimiya Kheradmand,^2,* Negin Kheradmand,³ Danial Zehni,⁴
1. Urology Department, Golestan Hospital, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical University
2. Dentistry Student, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Debrecen , Debrecen, Hungary
3. Dentist at Private Office ,Ahvaz, Iran
4. Dentistry Student, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Debrecen , Debrecen, Hungary
Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Following initial infection a person may not notice any symptoms, or may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. Typically, this is followed by a prolonged period with no symptoms. There were an estimated 38.0 million people living with HIV at the end of 2019. Due to gaps in HIV services, 690 000 people died from HIV-related causes in 2019 and 1.7 million people were newly infected. W.H.O. defines key populations as people in populations who are at increased HIV risk in all countries and regions. Key populations include: men who have sex with men; people who inject drugs; people in prisons and other closed settings; sex workers and their clients; and transgender people. Increased HIV vulnerability is often associated with legal and social factors, which increases exposure to risk situations and creates barriers to accessing effective, quality and affordable HIV prevention, testing and treatment services. There is no cure for HIV infection. However, effective antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) can control the virus and help prevent onward transmission to other people. Since scientists haven't found an effective treatment of HIV/AIDS and outbreak of it increasingly in world prove necessity of knowing the prevention and transferable ways of HIV/AIDS especially for persons who are in contact with blood and blood products such as medical and dentistry students.
Methods: 150 questionnaires were send to medical and dentistry students who were in the practical work phase and were in contact with the patient and patients' blood or secretions to be completed by them. Out of 150 questionnaires, 114 were completed and returned. Questionnaire A had 20 questions that assessed students' knowledge about HIV/AIDS: the first 10 questions were in the field of disease recognition, the next 5 questions were related to the ways of transmission and the last 5 questions were about disease prevention. Questionnaire B had 15 questions related to students' preventive performance at work and in contact with patients or patients’ fluids. Each question had 3 answers, with the option “always” has +2 points, “sometimes” +1, and “never” has zero point.
Results: In the questionnaire A out of 114 answers, the maximum correct answers was 18 out of 20, and minimum 8 out of 20 with a mean of 12.1 and a standard deviation of 2.63. In the questionnaire B out of 114 answers, the maximum correct answer was 27 out of 30, and minimum 8 out of 30 with a mean of 19.6 and a standard deviation of 4.7.
Conclusion: 1- Preventive act of students will be increase with expanding of knowledge and there is significant relationship between these two agents. 2- 57.9 % of students has little or low knowledge about HIV/AIDS and 44.7 % has slight or very little preventive act. 3- There was not significant relationship between knowledge of students and sex but between preventive act rate and sex was significant. 4- Significant relationship was noted between rate of knowledge and background of dangerous contact but not between preventive act and background of dangerous contact.
Keywords: knowledge, preventive action, HIV/AIDS