Knowledge, attitudes and personal beliefs about HIV and AIDS among mentally ill patients in Soweto, Johannesburg
Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Knowledge, attitudes and personal beliefs about HIV and AIDS among mentally ill patients in Soweto, Johannesburg | |
| Creator | Jonsson, G Moosa, M Y H Jeenah, F Y | |
| Description |
Aim. The aim of the study was to determine knowledge, attitudes and personal beliefs regarding HIV and AIDS in a group of mentally ill patients attending outpatient clinics in Soweto, Johannesburg. Method. All patients attending four randomly chosen clinics in Soweto were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire after obtaining informed written consent. The 63-item questionnaire, developed from others specifically for this study, included questions on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics; knowledge on how HIV is acquired and spread; attitudes and beliefs regarding HIV and AIDS; and condom usage. The statements in the knowledge sections were used to calculate a composite score, which if greater than or equal to 75% was defined as ‘adequate knowledge’. Results. A total of 1 151 patients with mental illness participated in the study. The mean age was 41.9 years (standard deviation 11.6) and the majority were males (50%); single (55%), and had achieved only a secondary level of education (53.3%). Overall, most of the study population did not believe in the myths surrounding the spread and acquisition of HIV and AIDS. There were however, significant associations between a low level of education and the belief that HIV is acquired from mosquito bites (odds ratio (OR) 1.61; 95% CI 1.19 - 2.18; p=0.002) and through masturbation or body rubbing (OR 1.76; 95% CI 1.34 - 2.33; p=0.000). Although more than 90% of the patients were aware of the facts regarding the spread of HIV, approximately 40% did not believe that one could acquire HIV through a single sexual encounter. The composite scoring for knowledge showed that less than half the patients had adequate knowledge of HIV/AIDS. This was significantly associated with gender and level of education: females were 1.6 times (p |
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| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2011-09-30 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajhivmed.v12i3.180 | |
| Source | Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine; Vol 12, No 3 (2011); 14 2078-6751 1608-9693 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajhivmed.org.za/index.php/hivmed/article/view/180/304
https://sajhivmed.org.za/index.php/hivmed/article/view/180/303
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