**9. Study to assess HIV/AIDS awareness among medical sciences university students**

Research should play an important part in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. Information on the size of the problem, infectivity, aetiology and behavioral determinants have to be gathered first. Evidence based planning, as well as, appropriate assessment and monitoring of the conducted programs and activities are crucial for fruitful actions.

#### **9.1 Aim**

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of final year medical sciences university students on HIV and AIDS at the University of Zawia, Zawia, Libya.

#### **9.2 Objectives**

The study was designed to assess the current knowledge of final year undergraduate university students regarding various aspects of HIV and AIDS. These include general knowledge about the virus and the disease, and routes of transmission of the virus. It was

also to assess attitudes towards prevention and treatment. It was to identify differences in knowledge and attitudes by gender and by different medical sciences faculties; medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and medical technology. The study was also designed to identify areas of misconceptions, gaps in knowledge and discussion, as well as, conclusions and recommendations on the basis of outcomes.

### **9.3 Methods**

112 Social and Psychological Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Their Ramifications

physical education, economics, mathematics and languages or linguistics. In addition to classroom lessons and activities, practical in-school and in-community activities and programs have to be organized. Examples include the school club, the school theatre, the school fraternity, the scouts activities and the local community cultural and entertainment programs. In addition to these, schools and universities influence students, through the values they teach, including respect, gender equality and human rights. Education settings can also create an environment that is safe from abuse and fosters understanding, caring and no-discrimination. These are well applied within the concept of 'health-promoting schools'. Furthermore, the student-to-student, child-to-child and peer-led projects or programs encourage the adolescents to undertake community projects. Older and trained peers can be selected as health guides and are then involved in teaching other pupils. The involvement of adolescents themselves in developing messages and approaches is a critical element. The UNAIDS (1999) has demonstrated that these projects and programs have

Internations and intercommunities differences, including cultural and religious perspectives, need to be taken in consideration when deciding on the timing for the introduction of components of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS education in schools and universities. A number of other factors will also need to be considered when defining the minimum set of interventions that can be implemented, including the reality and diversity of educational settings, capacity of education system, levels of enrollment and retention and the continuum of the system. The strategies to increase the knowledge of children and youth to prevent and control HIV/AIDS will be highlighted at the "Discussion" section of this

An important base for designing proper prevention programs is to assess people's knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS. University students, especially in medical faculties, represent a primary resource. A number of studies have been conducted in several countries to assess medical students' knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS. However, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to include Libyan university students at the

**9. Study to assess HIV/AIDS awareness among medical sciences university** 

Research should play an important part in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. Information on the size of the problem, infectivity, aetiology and behavioral determinants have to be gathered first. Evidence based planning, as well as, appropriate assessment and

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of final year medical sciences university students on HIV and AIDS at the University of Zawia, Zawia, Libya.

The study was designed to assess the current knowledge of final year undergraduate university students regarding various aspects of HIV and AIDS. These include general knowledge about the virus and the disease, and routes of transmission of the virus. It was

monitoring of the conducted programs and activities are crucial for fruitful actions.

greater credibility and acceptance.

final year of the faculties of medical sciences.

chapter.

**students** 

**9.1 Aim** 

**9.2 Objectives** 

Study ethical approval was obtained from the local Scientific Committee, at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Zawia, Zawia, Libya, on March 2010. A WHO approved, pre-tested and previously utilized standard closed-end questionnaire was used. The questionnaire included 39 statements, divided to three parts. These are general knowledge about HIV/AIDS, knowledge on the routes of transmission and attitudes towards prevention and treatment. The questionnaire was piloted for feedback and validation. Simple random sampling method was applied to recruit 400 final year (BSc) university students, 100 from each faculty. These are faculties of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and medical technology. The targeted participants were requested to tick their gender and to tick one of the given choices in front of each statement; 'Yes', 'No' or 'I don't know'. Then, only the response of the correct answer was considered. The answer 'I don't know' was considered as a wrong answer. The questionnaire was self administered by the participants colleagues, within their regular university classes, during May 2010. Study objectives and method were explained to each. Verbal consent was obtained accordingly. Validity and reliability of attitude measuring questions were found satisfactory. Questionnaires were answered anonymously and confidentiality was assured. Fifteen minutes were given to each participant to complete the questionnaires.

#### **9.4 Statistical analysis**

All data were statistically described and analyzed with the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) for windows, version 13.0. Data obtained were evaluated by frequency and percentage of responses of correct answers, and *t*-test was used to find the difference at *p* value < 0.05.

#### **9.5 Results**

The 100 handed over questionnaires in each faculty were completed and returned. Total returned questionnaires were 400. Males represented 16.75% of all study participants; 23% at the faculty of medicine, 12% at the faculty of pharmacy, 16% at the faculty of dentistry and 16% at the faculty of medical technology. Percentage of responses of correct answers in all faculties participants was 74.21%. Percentages of responses of correct answers were 72.1%, 69.2%, 75.8% and 74.6% in the faculties of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and medical technology respectively. Comparison of responses to groups of statements according to faculties is given in Table 1. Percentages of responses of correct answers of students of the four faculties to all given statements are shown in Table 2. Responses comparison (in terms of Mean +SD & range in parenthesis), among the four studied faculties, is presented in Table 3.
