1. Knowledge and Attitude among the
Nursing Students Studying in BPKIHS
Regarding HIV/AIDS
Mehta RS, Karki P, Rijal S
B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences

2. Introduction
Everybody is
at risk of
getting HIV.
However
certain
Persons have
high risk.

3. Some Facts about HIV/AIDS
• 4th biggest killer world wide
• More than 95 % cases in low & middle
income countries
• Symptom free period up to 10 years or
More
• HIV transmission is 10 times more on STIs
• ART Cost: very expensive

4. • About 1/3 are aged 15-24 years
• Most people do not know they are infected
• Gravity of Different mode of Transmission:
* Sexual intercourse
= 80-90 %
* Blood Transfusion
= 3-15 %
* Injecting Drug users
= 5 -10 %
* Equipments/Needles = < 0.1 %
* Perinatal
= 0.1%

5. HIV positive to AIDS
– 33 % = Only develop AIDS
– 64 % = Till death live without
Symptoms
– 5-10- 20 yrs = A symptomatic
Concentrated epidemic:
Sex workers (4%), Migrant Population (4-10%) &
IVDUs(51%)

6. No of Reported Cases
( HIV Infection)
1st case in Nepal --July 1988
Since then increasing
1988 - 4
1992 - 77
1996 - 135
2000 - 700
2004 - 4442
2007 - 10546 Dec.15th

7. Objective of the study:
To find out the knowledge and
attitude among the nursing
students studying in BPKIHS
regarding HIV /AIDS.

8. Methodology:
It was descriptive crosssectional study, conducted
among the nursing students
studying in BPKIHS.

9. This is baseline cross-sectional,
questionnaire based study
conducted among the female
students of both B. SC. Nursing
and Certificate nursing First year
and last year in B. P. Koirala
institute of health science.

10. The students studying in B. Sc.
Nursing 1st year & 4th year, CN-1st
year & 3rd year (i.e. First and last
years students) constitute the
population of the study.
Using simple random sampling
method 25% students were selected
from each class i.e. 5 from B.Sc. – I,
5 from B.Sc. –IV, 10 from CN –I, &
10 from CN –III.

11. Using pre-tested semi-structured
questionnaire data was collected from
the selected students after obtaining
informed verbal consent. The data
was collected on the month of
November, 2007 i.e. just before
starting the clinical duty of B. Sc. –I &
CN –I year students.

12. The collected data was entered in
SPSS -11.5 software package
and analyzed. Descriptive as well
as inferential statistics were used
to present the findings and draw
the conclusions.

13. Results:

14. Demographic profile of the subjects:
• Most of the students (70%) were of
age group of 15-19 years and only
30% were of age group of 20-23
years, with mean age 18.46, SD
2.344, and range 15-23 years. Most
of them (93.3%) were Hindu and
unmarried (100%).

15. Half of the subjects were from villages
and half from Nagarpalika and most
of them were from Kathmandu (17%),
Morang (17%), Rukum (13%),
Sunsari (13%), Jhapa (10%) and
remaining from other districts. None
of the students has participated in
HIV/AIDS orientation Programme
previously.

16. Table-I
Knowledge Profile of the students about HIV/AIDS
Percentage Score (%)
SN
1
CN-I
(N=10)
CN-III
(N=10)
B.Sc. – I
(N=5)
B.Sc. -IV
(N=5)
Average
(mean)
(N=30)
a. Life threatening
disease
30
20
0
60
43.3
b. Preventable disease
40
50
0
40
36.7
c. Contagious disease
20
0
0
0
6.7
d. I do not know
10
30
100
0
13.7
Knowledge Profile
What is AIDS?

17. 2 How big is the AIDS
Problem in Nepal?
a. Very big
50
50
80
100
63.3
b. Medium
50
50
20
0
36.7
c. No Problem
0
0
0
0
0

18. 3 Risk of getting HIV/AIDS
A. High risk
10 40
b. May be
60 40 20 60 46.7
c. No risk
30 20 80
4 HIV infection is diagnosed by
blood test (correct response)
100
100
0
100
40 23.3
0
30.0
100
100

19. 5 Knowledge about
confirmation of diagnosis (
steps of tests) by lab test
a. Yes
10 10 20 60 20.0
b. No
40 70 60 40 46.7
c. Do not know/Not sure
50 20 20
0
33.3

20. 6. HIV virus is found in ( Yes response)
( MR)
a. Saliva and tears
30
10
20
20
19
b. Blood
90
90
40
100
80
c. Semen/Vaginal Secretion
70
80
20
100 72.6
70
70
100
7 T-Lymphocytes of Blood
cells damaged by HIV virus
( Yes response)
80
80

22. Table- II
Knowledge about prevention and care of HIV/AIDS
Percentage Score (%)
S
N
Knowledge about prevention and
care of HIV/AIDS
CN-I
(N=10)
1
2
CN-III
(N=10)
B.Sc.
–I
(N=5)
B.Sc. IV
(N=5)
Average
(mean)
(N=30)
Applying the principles of
Universal Precautions
80
100
100
100
20
Use and administer blood and
blood products only after
screening
100
90
100
80
93.3

23. 3 Not touching the infected person
0
40
20
93.3
100
90
100
80
16.7
90
90
100
100
93.3
100 100
4 Not sharing the needles, razors and
blades
20
100
100
93.3
100 100
100
80
100
5 Not to conceive if one has HIV/AIDS
6 Practice safe sex
7 Be faithful to the partners

24. 8
Heared about the term highly
active anti-retroviral therapy
( HAART)
9
10
10
40
AIDS patients are more prone to
develop opportunistic illness
80
10
0
80
30
60 100
60
73.3
30
40
26.7
Vaccine is available against HIV
40

25. 1
1
Knowledge about post exposure
prophylaxis (PEP)
1
2
Bleaching/Chlorine is used to clean blood
spillage on surface
1
3
Linen of AIDS patients should be send to
laundry only after disinfection on in
chlorine/bleaching
30
20
60
60
36.7
30
100
40
100
66.7
30
70
40
60
50

27. Table- III
Extent of knowledge about HIV/AIDS Related services
available at BPKIHS
Percentage Score (%)
S
Knowledge Profile
N
CN-I
(N=10)
CN-III
(N=10)
B.Sc. – I
(N=5)
B.Sc. -V
I
(N=5)
Average
(mean)
(N=30)
a. Adequate
0
30
0
40
16.7
b. Inadequate
10
10
0
60
16.7
c. Not at all
90
60
100
0
66.7
1 VCT services

28. 2 PMTCT
services
a. Adequate
0
70
0
80
36.7
b. Inadequate
0
30
0
20
13.3
100
0
100
0
50.0
c. Not at all

29. 3 ART services
a. Adequate
0
50
0
0
20
b. Inadequate
10
10
40
60
23.3
c. Not at all
90
40
60
20
56.7
5 CD -4 count
test
a. Adequate
0
50
0
60
26.7
b. Inadequate
10
0
40
20
13.3
c. Not at all
90
50
60
20
60.0

30. 6 HIV test
a. Adequate
20
60
0
60
36.7
b. Inadequate
20
30
100
40
40.0
c. Not at all
60
10
0
0
23.3
a. Adequate
0
30
0
40
16.7
b. Inadequate
0
30
40
60
26.7
100
40
60
0
56.7
8 PEP services
c. Not at all

32. Table – IV
Attitude of the students towards People Living with
HIV/AIDS (N=negative & P=positive) (N=30)
Strongly
Agree
(%)
Agree
(%)
Uncertain
(%)
Disagree
(%)
Strongly
Disagree
(%)
3.3
0
0
3.3
93.3
Person affected should not be
allowed to stay in community. (N)
3.3
3.3
0
10
83.3
3
All the young people/students should
know about HIV/AIDS infection. (P)
100
0
0
0
0
4
It is alright for women and men to
have premarital sexual relation. (N)
3.3
10
6.7
46.7
33.3
S
N
Attitude
1
AIDS is caused by curse of God. (N)
2

33. 5
If one of my friends gets AIDS I shall
continue my normal social relationship with
here or her. (P)
7
8
9
20
0
0
3.3
93.3
6.7
0
0
0
30
6
76.7
30.3
33.3
10
13.3
Knowing there is no cure for AIDS this is no
point in caring for AIDS patients. (N)
10
16.7
3.3
16.7
53.3
It is not good for married men and woman to
have extra marital sexual relationship. (P)
66.7
23.3
33
0
6.7
Health education is necessary for woman
and men to have safe sex. (P)
AIDS is real treat of human population. (N)

34. 10
12
13
14
15
86.7
13.3
0
0
0
AIDS patient need live, support and affection.
(P)
93.3
3.3
0
0
3.3
Suggest AIDS suspected friends for testing
his or her blood. (P)
73.3
26.7
0
0
0
80
20
0
0
0
46.7
11
AIDS awareness is one of the important
advices of parents for their children. (P)
43.3
3.3
0
6.7
76.7
23.3
0
0
0
Peer group discussion about HIV/AIDS is
more effective for its prevention. (P)
Open discussion about HIV/AIDS prevention
can be done among siblings. (P)
Major responsibility of adolescents is to
participate in HIV/AIDS prevention
programme to being community awareness
to control HIV/AIDS. (P)

35. 16
17
18
19
20
If one of my family members gets AIDS I will
be ready to care him / her. (P)
93.3
6.7
0
0
0
A person of any age, race, sex or occupation
can contract HIV/AIDS. (P)
70
10
6.7
3.3
10
We should not tell others if one has
HIV/AIDS. (N)
23.3
16.7
16.7
13.3
30
Individuals with HIV/AIDS infection must be
treated with love and belonging. (P)
66.7
23.3
10
0
0
Individuals with HIV/AIDS infection must be
assessed for any potential infection. (P)
66.7
13.3
10
33
6.7

36. 21
HIV/AIDS patient should be treated properly.
(P)
80.0
16.7
3.3
0
0
22
I feel that, counseling plays an important
role for an HIV/AIDS infected clients. (P)
80.0
16.7
0
0
3.3
23
I am willing to assist with the delivery of a
baby born to a mother with HIV/AIDS. (P)
46.7
40.0
10
0
3.3
30
53.3
10
3.3
3.3
24
I am willing to assist an operation on a
patient with HIV/AIDS. (P)

37. Conclusions:
• Most of the students are teenagers.
• Most of the students had satisfactory knowledge
about causative agent, risk groups and modes of
transmission and prevention.
• Acquired nature of disease was not known to
most of the students.
• But on the other hands misconceptions were
also prevalent reflected in the form of incorrect
answers like kissing, hugging and using
common utensils as a mode of transmission.

38. • Based on the study we conclude that HIV/AIDS
awareness programme among the students’
nurses as well as other health care workers is
mandatory, however education campaigns
should be carefully structured and specifically
tailored to particular setting.
• To do this, investigation of the current level of
knowledge in various settings will be necessary.
• Finally the effectiveness of targeted education
program on HIV/AIDS should be repeatedly
evaluated in the future.

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42. THANK-YOU
The Theme.
“Stop AIDS.
Keep the
Promise.”
2007
“Take leadership”
2008