Knowledge,attitude and practice of physicians towards herbal remedies in Rasht,north of Iran

The World Health Organization has recommended the integration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) with modern medicine, as part of the global “health for all” approach. Herbal treatments are the most common and known methods of CAM. Based on the critical role of physicians in true and safe application of these products, this research evaluated knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of physicians in Rasht towards herbal remedies. This was a cross sectional study, performed between April 2017 and May 2019 on all physicians, who worked in Rasht city, northern Iran. A researcher-made questionnaire with 2 main parts, including a demographics section and research questions was used. A total of 142 (38%) individuals responded to the questionnaires. Mean KAP scores were 6.47 ± 6.17, 27.80 ± 3.26, and 5.02 ± 5.54, respectively. In none of these fields, significant differences were seen in participants regarding demographic variables, experience, work place, academic relevance, and field of work (P > .05). Physicians of Rasht city, with different work environments and regardless of demographic characteristics, had a positive view towards herbal remedies, without enough knowledge to consult their patients.     

Concern,perceived risk and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS in Scottish prisons

Four hundred and eighty male prisoners and 500 male staff from 7 Scottish prisons took part in a study assessing perception of risk and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS. Prison staff were found to perceive prison as a higher-risk environment for HIV/AIDS than outside prison, whereas prisoners perceived the opposite. Prisoners perceived less personal risk of HIV/AIDS inside prison than staff. Staff and prisoner concern towards HIV/AIDS was greater than perceived risk of HIV/AIDS, and concern was found to be associated with a number of demographic variables, whereas perceived risk was less influenced by such variables. These findings suggest that the process of risk perception may operate on more than one level. Factor analysis of attitudes towards HIV/AIDS produced four factors for both staff and prisoners: 'Interacting with people with HIV/AIDS'; 'Social control of HIV/ AIDS'; 'HIV/AIDS prevention for high-risk groups'; and 'Response to HIV/AIDS high-risk behaviour'. For both staff and prisoners, greater concern and perceived risk towards HIV/AIDS was associated with a lower tolerance for interacting with people with HIV/AIDS and more support for strict social control measures against people with HIV/AIDS.     

Knowledge, attitudes and sources of information regarding HIV/AIDS in Iranian adolescents

The World Health Organization recently reported an 'alarming trend' of increasing Human Deficiency Virus (HIV) infection in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Adolescents form a particularly important target group for primary prevention. An anonymous questionnaire, derived from standard surveys such as the Safer Choices questionnaire and the 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, was distributed to 1227 Iranian students attending 19 randomly selected high schools in Hashtgerd in 2002. Students reported that television (84%) and school teachers (66%) were the best sources of HIV/AIDS information, while parents (27%) and school books (15%) were least informative. Most students knew that heterosexual intercourse (90%) and shared intravenous needles (94%) can cause HIV infection; however, salient misconceptions were revealed. Only 53% were aware that condoms protect against infection through sexual intercourse. More effective school-based HIV/AIDS education is needed in Iran.     

Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices about HIV/AIDS in Kuwait.

This survey is aimed at assessing knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices in Kuwait regarding AIDS/HIV. Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted during the year 1995 on a sample of 2,219 subjects, aged 18 to 60, health professionals were excluded. The survey instrument included 26 questions on AIDS/HIV knowledge, 6 about attitudes and beliefs, and 6 about behavior and practice. The remaining 22 items dealt with sociodemographic characteristics, role of religion, source of information, and satisfaction about AIDS control programs. Two thirds of subjects had good knowledge about the main modes of HIV/AIDS transmission. Using a multiple regression model, the knowledge score was positively associated with level of education, age, years of hearing about AIDS, and socioeconomic status. The multiple logistic regression showed that subjects tend not to change their behavior related to AIDS if they were less than 40 years old, had low education, were females, single, had a lower socioeconomic status, had heard about AIDS for less than 3 years, and had a low level of knowledge about AIDS. More than half of the participants were satisfied with the government's action for AIDS prevention. The majority of subjects thought that religion was important in dealing with daily life problems. In conclusion, while most of the people in Kuwait were aware of the main modes of AIDS transmission, a gap existed about modes that did not transmit the disease. This was reflected in their attitudes and practice toward AIDS patients. The study calls for a greater role for medical professionals, mass media, and religion in AIDS prevention and control.     

Awareness and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS among residents of Kandy,Sri Lanka

Currently, interventions for HIV/AIDS control in Sri Lanka are only carried out among the most-at-risk populations. This study was conducted to identify the level of awareness and stigma-related attitudes among the general population of Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 869 residents of 18–64 years of age in Kandy, Sri Lanka. A self-administered questionnaire was utilised to obtain information about stigma, discrimination and HIV/AIDS-related knowledge. Chi-square test and multivariate analysis were applied to find possible associations between HIV-related variables and socio-demographic indicators. Response rate was 82.0%. Overall, 93.5% of the participants have heard of HIV/AIDS but the knowledge on HIV/AIDS was low with an average score of 51.7%, no statistically significant difference between genders (p = 0.352). Only 58.1% were aware that a condom was an effective tool for its prevention. There were many misconceptions related to epidemiology of HIV/AIDS. The participants showed more positive attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) for all questionnaire items except for those listed under shame and blame. Positive attitudes towards PLHIV were observed to be greater among those with a better HIV/AIDS-related knowledge score. There was no significant association between the attitudes towards PLHIV and socio-demographic characteristics such as ethnicity and religion. There is a greater need of making attempts towards educating the public regarding HIV/AIDS to eliminate misconceptions prevalent in the society. Stigma-related attitudes are mainly due to shame and blame associated with the disease. As the attitudes towards PLHIV were more positive among those with a better HIV/AIDS-related knowledge score, targeted HIV/AIDS-related health education interventions maybe recommended in this regard.     

Knowledge and attitudes of young people in Guyana to HIV/AIDS

HIV prevalence in Guyana is the third highest in the Caribbean which, in turn, is the second-most-affected region in the world. Over 2000 young people aged 12-20 years completed self-report questionnaires that examined their knowledge of HIV/AIDS, their attitudes to sexual behaviours and their intentions with regard to virginity and use of condoms. Nearly one-quarter of young people aged 12-14 were sexually active and this rose to over one-third for youths aged 15 years and over, but condoms were only used consistently by two in five of these persons. Attitudes and intentions towards sexual behaviour were significantly influenced by religious teaching as well as by gender and age. Hence, prevention strategies for the spread of HIV/AIDS should harness religious belief and practice, especially in societies such as Guyana where religious affiliation remains strong.     

Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and attitudes towards people living with HIV among the general staff of a public university in Malaysia

Stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV have been widely documented, and have extended their impact into the workplace. Stigmatising attitudes towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the workplace significantly hinder HIV prevention efforts and indirectly affect national development. This cross-sectional study was designed to determine the level of knowledge about HIV and AIDS and assess attitudes towards PLHIV among the general staff of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), as well as to identify factors that are associated with it. Self-administered questionnaires were posted to a total of 344 general staff from six randomly selected faculties, and they were a given a week to return the questionnaires. The response rate was 38%. Data were analysed using Pearson's correlation, independent t-test and multiple linear regression. The respondents showed a considerably high level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS (mean knowledge score of 15.57±1.93 out of 18 points) although there were some misconceptions (N=129). Likert scale responses to 20 attitude statements revealed that respondents generally had moderately positive attitudes toward PLHIV (average score of 69.65±10.08 out of 100 points). Attitudes were inconsistent when it involved direct contact and interaction with PLHIV. Factors significantly associated with level of knowledge and attitudes included age, education and income. There was no difference in mean score for knowledge and attitudes by gender. Further efforts are necessary to improve attitudes of the general staff towards PLHIV, particularly in areas of direct contact with PLHIV.     

Knowledge, attitudes, and experience regarding HIV/AIDS among older adult inner-city Latinos

Although Latinos, now the largest minority group in the U.S., comprise 13% of the population, they represent 18% of all new HIV and AIDS cases. This disproportionate representation also appears among older adult Latinos. Semi-structured interviews with 45 inner-city Spanish speaking older adult Latinos provide new data regarding HIV/AIDS among this largely ignored but at risk population. Findings indicate that approximately two thirds of the sample ascribed to at least one myth regarding viral transmission (e.g., via mosquito bites; using public toilets) and less than half were aware of age and gender specific risk factors (e.g., increased mortality and side-effects from antiviral medication; greater risk of contracting HIV through intercourse among older women). Women were significantly less likely to have experience with condoms than men, and machismo, lack of perceived risk, and perceived ineffectiveness were identified as potential barriers to condom use. Recommendations are offered for the design of culturally sensitive, primary prevention programs for this older Latino population.     

Differences in Tunisian adolescents' knowledge,misconceptions and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS from 1997 to 2002

Surveys were conducted to estimate the extent to which knowledge, misconceptions and attitudes of adolescents in Tunisia towards HIV/AIDS had changed after a period of five years. A population of school-going adolescents of both sexes, age 16 to 20, was sampled in 1997 and again in 2002. We found that HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases became better known, there was more tolerance expressed for people living with AIDS, and the use of condoms was more positively judged. Fewer misconceptions surrounding the condition were also noted. However, many results recorded during the 1997 survey remained unchanged (e.g., scepticism about awareness campaigns; TV as a primary source of information). We discuss the socio-economic and medical/social context in Tunisia during the period 1997–2002 that seemed to allow adolescents to improve their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and to acquire positive attitudes towards persons living with the condition.     

Surgeons' attitudes toward HIV/AIDS in Turkey

Currently HIV/AIDS is one of the most difficult challenges for health care professionals. As primary medical care providers, attitudes of the physicians towards HIV/AIDS are of utmost significance. The aim of this research is to determine the attitudes of the surgeons towards HIV/AIDS in their working environment. Data were collected from a self-administered questionnaire given to 128 surgeons. Results revealed that gender, age and professional experience are not significant. This study demonstrated that doctors are worried about contracting HIV/AIDS from the patients. In some circumstances doctors' attitudes, are not clear which may lead to some ethical problems. It is concluded that doctors overestimate the risks and they need special education about HIV/AIDS, as well as professional help to handle their attitudes toward HIV/AIDS.     

Knowledge and attitudes among patients with asthma and parents and physicians towards influenza vaccination

BackgroundInfluenza is an infectious disease, dangerous for all people, especially for some risk groups such as patients with chronic diseases and health care workers. But most of the people under the risk of influenza, including health care workers are not immunised because of misinformation. In this study, we aimed to determine the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma and parents of such children related to influenza vaccination. Attitudes and beliefs of physicians treating these patients about influenza vaccination were also investigated.MethodsTwo different questionnaires consisting of various items related to influenza vaccine were distributed to physicians and patients and parents of children with asthma and allergic disease.ResultsThe physicians group consisted of 189 physicians from various branches. About one third of physicians from various branches reported that they did not believe the vaccine's effectiveness. Most of the participating physicians did not immunise themselves with influenza vaccination despite the fact that any patient of theirs had died due to influenza infection.Although nearly half of the 183 patients had been vaccinated with influenza vaccine, only 27% of adults and 11.7% of children had been vaccinated annually.ConclusionsAsthmatic patients are not immunised regularly with influenza vaccine due to misperceptions about vaccine effectiveness and fear of adverse effects. Another important reason of this is that most the physicians caring for these patients neither immunise themselves nor recommend the vaccine to their patients.     

HIV/AIDS risk perception, attitudes and sexual behaviour in Portugal

One thousand individuals in the age group 18-69 were selected for a multistage nationwide random sample. Of the interviewees 68.3% were of the opinion that the risk of AIDS, in Portugal, is considerably high and 37.1% stated that they had feared being infected by the HIV; 28.0% established a connection between being afraid and the fact that AIDS is a serious/incurable disease; 31.5% believed that there are risks inherent to the health services; only 7.8% expressed fear of AIDS because of an infected partner. Only 42.6% regarded extra-marital sexual relations as either partially or totally acceptable. Sexual relations between youths were seen as totally acceptable by 11.9% and partially acceptable by 51.1%. Homosexual relations between men were seen as either totally or partially acceptable by 38%. Of the interviewees, 7.8% thought that recent treatments can definitely cure AIDS and 6.5% believed that with recent treatments HIV transmission would no longer be possible.