Attitudes and Knowledge of HIV Positive Persons and High Risk Behaviors Groups in Golestan, Iran

The epidemic of HIV has been become worldwide. Infected people with HIV which are most intravenous drug users (IDUs) and/or people who have unsafe sex are important source of transmission of infection to other persons in a community. Since there is little known about the knowledge and attitudes of HIV positives about HIV in Iran, therefore we decided to measure the level of knowledge and attitudes of this group in Golestan province in compare with individuals with risky behavior. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 54 HIV+ persons and 134 people with high risk behavior individuals in 2007 year. Our study showed that HIV- (High risk group) cases had higher education level (P=0.034). Rate of jobless was higher in HIV+ persons (P<0.001). HIV+ cases had lower income (P=0.037). Both groups had moderate knowledge and poor attitude on HIV/AIDS. Level of attitude in HIV+ positive persons was lower than high risk group (P=0.05). It is concluded that these susceptible persons and also infected individuals with HIV regardless of their socio-economic levels need more continuous education in structured programs.