The Knowledge and Attitude of Teachers about HIV/AIDS; before and after Training in Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran

Abstract

<strong><em>Introduction</em></strong> <br/>The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. As the infection progresses, the immune system becomes weaker, and the person becomes more susceptible to infections. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of intervention training on knowledge and attitude of teachers about HIV/AIDS. <br/><strong><em>Materials and Methods</em></strong> <br/>This quasi-experimental study, 11 cities were selected randomly cluster among 27 cities of Khorasan Razavi province- Iran. The study teachers were selected multi stage cluster sampling method; so, in the selected cities, randomly selected a number of 4 high schools of each cluster, and all the teachers of these schools were invited to participate in this research. At pre-test basic knowledge and attitude of teachers about HIV/AIDS were evaluated. Then their educational needs and curriculum were designed. Then 2 weeks after conducting the education, teacher's knowledge and attitude were evaluated (post-test). <br/><strong><em>Results </em></strong><br/>1,838 teachers with the mean age of 39.81<span style="text-decoration: underline;">+</span>6.104 participated in this study. The mean score of their knowledge about HIV/AIDS rose from 11.84<span style="text-decoration: underline;">+</span>2.116 to 12.2<span style="text-decoration: underline;">+</span> 1.450 after intervention. The mean score of their attitude about HIV/AIDS rose from 18.07<span style="text-decoration: underline;">+</span>4.740 to 20.64<span style="text-decoration: underline;">+</span>4.905 after intervention. The results showed that there was a significant difference between teachers' knowledge and attitude before and after the training program (P=0.000). <br/><strong><em>Conclusion</em></strong> <br/>According to the study it can be concluded teachers training to increase knowledge about HIV/AIDS and improve their attitude towards the disease AIDS.