Perception of Non-Medical Faculties Students at Minia University toward Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Abstract

Background: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome epidemic (AIDS) is one of the most serious public health challenges facing the world today. Aim of the study: to assess perception of non-medical faculties students at Minia University toward acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Research design: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was utilized in the present study. Setting: This study was conducted at Minia University of selected three non-medical faculties classified into (faculty of Art Education, faculty of Tourism and Hotels and faculty of Dar-ELuloom). Subjects: A simple random sample of 602 students at Minia University, Egypt is included in this study. Tool of data collection: A structured form of interviewing questionnaire was used including three parts, demographic data such as faculty name, student name, age, sex, residence, marital status, academic year. Knowledge about AIDS. Attitudes toward AIDS. Results: the majority of the studied students have low knowledge and the lowest knowledge was in faculty of art education (90.7%) with statistically significant difference (p=0.002), the majority of the studied students have positive attitude (82.9%) and the majority was in faculty of Dar-ELuloom (85%). No correlation between knowledge and attitude, it was weak positive correlation. Conclusion: the majority of the studied students have low knowledge with statistically significant difference and the lowest knowledge was in faculty of art education and the majority of the studied students have positive attitude. No correlation between knowledge and attitude. Recommendations: It was recommended that an increase in community knowledge on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus promotes more positive attitudes towards people living with human immunodeficiency virus.