Knowledge and attitude about HIV/AIDS among pregnant women in Yazd, Iran

Background: Since AIDS is not only a vital medical problem, but also a socioeconomic complication, therefore increasing people's knowledge and replacing their unhealthy behavior by a healthy one is of important consideration. Women, specially in reproductive ages of their life, have a special situation regarding the probability of pregnancy and infection of their fetus. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore pregnant women's knowledge about HIV/AIDS, their perception of risk, risk behavior and management, and their attitudes towards AIDS. Materials and Methods: In a cross sectional study, a total of 120 pregnant women, who referred to family health clinics in Yazd, were selected by simple random sampling. Information was collected via a special designed questionnaire containing 22 questions for evaluating knowledge and 6 questions for evaluating attitude. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test with SPSS software. Results:The knowledge of pregnant women about AIDS was not significantly different in different age groups (p=0.151), while ithad a significant relationship with their education (p=0.000). There was a correlation between general knowledge and attitude in pregnant women (p=0.033) (r=0.126). The attitude about AIDS in pregnant women was fairly good and there was a significant difference in this regard related to their education (p=0.000), while there was not significant difference regarding their age (p=0.410) (Mean =19.8). Conclusion: There is an urgent need for HIV prevention efforts, such as health education and focusing on the pregnant women in developing world. Health educators should tailor education programs for women at risk, particularly those with lower education, to enhance their knowledge about HIV and to improve their attitude about AIDS.