Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about AIDS: A Cross-Cultural Study

This exploratory, comparative study was conducted to assess and compare the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward AIDS between a group of Jordanian and a group of American students. A convenience sample consisting of 126 senior BSN (bachelor’s of nursing) students, 63 from a university in Jordan and 63 from a university in Michigan, was selected for this study. A self-administered structured questionnaire was utilized. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward AIDS in both cultures. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were used. The results indicated that the American students’ responses concerning knowledge of HIV/AIDS were significantly greater (M = 73%) in comparison with Jordanian students’ (M = 52%). The American students also reported more positive attitudes toward AIDS than those of their Jordanian counterparts. In terms of prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS, more American students (82.5%) approved of the use of condoms as a precautionary measure toward the spread of the disease when compared to Jordanian students.