Georgia College & State University

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding HIV/AIDS among college aged

nursing and public health students throughout South Georgia

James Hagins, Tanganika Ramos, Hannah Turner

KINS 6533 - Epidemiology

Dr. Francis

May 1, 2020
Research question

If college aged public health and nursing students have a lack of education on human

immunodeficiency virus, it will affect their overall knowledge, attitudes, and practices in regards

to care for individuals with the virus and proper safety for themselves.

Objectives

1) To determine if college aged nursing and public health students were and are receiving an

adequate amount of knowledge towards human immunodeficiency virus.

a) By using the knowledge, attitude, and practice survey, college aged students from

different colleges in the South will be able to anonymously answer the survey in

order for the researchers to be able to properly assess the school’s curriculum.

2) To figure out if students who are nursing and public health will have the ability to dismiss

stigma and stereotyping towards those who are diagnosed with HIV in order to provide

appropriate care for those patients.

a) The attitude based segment of the KAP study should allow the researchers to be

able to see different stigmas and fear among the respondents, including being able

to see how the individuals would feel when working with patients who are

diagnosed with HIV, whether that be biased or comfortable.

3) The study will aim to see if college aged nursing and public health students are practicing

and teaching safer sex techniques in order to not only educate individuals on the matter,

but also protect themselves from contracting a sexually transmitted infection.

a) Practice based questions will give the researcher the knowledge needed to see

what the public health and nursing students are taking from class and practicing
 themselves. Limitations need to be noted though because more often than not,

when individuals fill out survey based questions, they will lie in order to make

themselves look better, especially in regards to condom practices. Results could

then vary this way.

Abstract

Background -

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding HIV/AIDs is an important part of one's

education that plans to enter the healthcare field. Nurses and those who studied public health are

the most likely to be treating and educating those with HIV/AIDs or those who are at high risk

for developing the virus. Therefore, studying the KAPs of these nursing and public health

students in Southern Georgia will allow college systems to design proper teaching techniques in

regards to HIV/AIDs education.

Methods -

This was a cross sectional study carried out among college aged public health and nursing

students throughout South Georgia. The main schools included were Georgia College & State

University, University of Georgia, Albany State, and Columbus University to evaluate their

KAPs regarding HIV/AIDs. Questionnaires were administered via social media for students to

answer in regards to knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Data will be analyzed by using SPSS.

Results -

All of the respondents should have or have had education in regards to HIV/AIDs from prior

classes in their major. Results did vary in regards to the knowledge category, with some people

being unaware of the basic protection methods and transmission methods in regards to
HIV/AIDs. Misconceptions about the multiple modes of transmission were observed, with only

12% selecting unprotected anal sex and 16% selecting unprotected vaginal sex as main modes of

infection. Risky behaviors were also noted among the participants, with 84% having had sex

before, but only 62.5% used a condom every time they had sex. The results were relatively

skewed in regards to attitude and the care of those with HIV. Most were in favor of care for

people with the virus, but there were results that pointed in the direction of fear for caring for

those with HIV. This could mainly be due to nurses being the ones in direct contact with HIV

patients - whether that be taking blood or running tests, which could create a fear of getting the

infection themselves. The one important comparison was that 76% of respondents encourage

individuals to get tested, but 44% of participants do not get tested at all.

Conclusions -

Students had a higher level of knowledge about basics on HIV/AIDs while displaying relatively

positive attitudes towards treatment and care for those with the virus. There were some

misconceptions, however, in regards to HIV transmission and protection, slight discriminatory

attitudes towards those with HIV on the topic of treatment, and poor sexual health practices for

those with the education on the topic. By elevating the curriculum to include more education on

HIV/AIDs, more knowledge and safer practices would likely be displayed among these

individuals.

Introduction

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has been infecting people all over the world, with the

first discovery being in the United States in 1981. Since then, 37,832 received a new diagnosis

for HIV in the United States during the year 2018, with there being 1.7 million new cases of HIV
worldwide in 2018 (Centers for Disease Control. 2020). HIV is spread predominately through

blood, mainly intravenous drug injection, unprotected sexual intercourse, being unprotected

vaginal or anal sex with someone who has the virus, and lastly, mother to child transmission.

Mother to child transmission has reduced drastically due to HIV testing for expecting mothers,

then placing them on medications to stop the spread to the child. (Mayo Clinic. 2020) There

seems to be a decline on cases in the United States, but a disproportionate amount of new

infections target certain populations, such as racial and ethnic minorities and gay or bisexual men

(US Department of Health and Human Services. 2020). 14% of individuals with HIV in the

United States are unaware of their diagnosis. It seems to be mainly young individuals, aged 13-

24, with an estimated 54.6% of individuals being unaware of their diagnosis. Early detection of

HIV is the most beneficial means of individuals being able to get on medication to develop a

suppressed or undetectable viral load, meaning that disease progression is halted (US

Department of Health and Human Services. 2020). When looking at early detection, education is

important. Which is why the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) is necessary when

evaluating the education and mindset of those going into the healthcare field.

Georgia and the Southern states as a whole serve as a disproportionate amount of new

HIV diagnoses. In 2017, Georgia had the highest amount of HIV diagnoses, with 24.9 per

100,000 individuals being infected. Look at the South as a whole, in 2017, these states accounted

for more than half of the new diagnosis for that year (Willis, 2019). Minority populations living

in urban areas, like Atlanta, are at the highest vulnerability to developing HIV, mainly due to an

underrepresentation of healthcare coverage. Looking at Fulton county, one of the city's largest

counties, 5.4% of non-Hispanic white residents were without coverage, compared to 15.9% of

black residents and 30.3% of Hispanic residents. This could potentially explain why Fulton
county has around 700 new HIV diagnoses each year (Willis, 2019). Many of those who attend

college in South Georgia end up graduating and returning to a larger city to start their careers.

This means that many of the students will come into contact with HIV positive patients, whether

that be in a hospital setting or a county health care setting.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) is a fundamental way of figuring out behaviors

and education among those who will be going out and working in communities with high risk

patients. It is important that these students receive an adequate amount of information to reduce

stigma, but also on how to educate others about ways to protect themselves and raise awareness

on the issues at hand. Stigma is a large part of why individuals are afraid to check their status or

seek or care if they are HIV positive. Since the first cases of HIV, attitudes have not been as

positive as they should be, which has resulted in the social response towards HIV being negative

and therefore imposed hardships among those living with HIV. These attitudes are mainly due to

an inadequate understanding about the means of transmission for HIV and the fear of acquiring

HIV through casual contacts, meaning an overestimation of the risk one has to be around

someone living with HIV (Gregory et al., 2002).

By studying the knowledge, attitude, and practices of those going into the healthcare

field, it will answer questions about the adequacy going into the curriculum on prominent

infections, particularly HIV. Those going into nursing or public health will be most in contact

with patients that are infected with HIV or are at high risk of developing an infection. It is

important that the education in college is covering information related to not just knowledge on

the topic of HIV, but also safe practices for all and a reduction in stigma for those living with the

virus.
Methods

Study Design -
This study was an institutional based cross-sectional study that was conducted among college

aged public health and nursing students that attended different schools throughout South

Georgia. The prevalence of HIV/AIDs is growing in the Southern United States, with Georgia

leading as one of the states with the highest rate of new infections. In 2017, Georgia accounted

for 24.9 per 100,000 individuals that had an HIV diagnosis (Willis, 2019). Studying college aged

students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices in regards to human immunodeficiency virus before

they prepare to enter the healthcare field, gives researchers the ability to see what the individuals

have learned and their beliefs towards the virus, but also what needs to be extended within the

curriculum moving forward.

Sampling and Sample Size -

Sampling process is one of the crucial aspects of research that contributes to the final result

evaluation and discussion. As for this research, the minimal number of responses required to

perfectly assess the level of knowledge, practices and attitudes among the nursing and public

health community was 25. The research employed the simple random sampling technique where

all senior level students with knowledge about HIV/AIDS had equal chances of being selected as

the study population. The research provided equal chances of expression to every member, for

example, the study considered both male and female college students and as well as all majors

considered, that is, both public health and nursing students with only 8 percent of the total 25

responses having no concern about the major at college. To improve the final results of the

research, the samples were collected from different schools and locations with the main

participants originating from Columbus State, Georgia College and State University and
university of Georgia. All the samples were approved to be senior level students that have

knowledge about HIV/AIDS. The sample age group ranged from the age of 18 years old to 26

years old.

Data Management -
The strategy that was first implemented during the research data collection period was to have

senior level students who have knowledge about HIV/AIDs, mainly being those who are nursing

or public health majors. During data collection, the research was conducted in different colleges

and locations throughout South Georgia. To be able to reach out a high number of senior level

college students, a survey was administered via social media then passed along to the other

college students for them to fill out the questionnaire about the information on HIV/AIDs. The

study was conducted until there were an adequate amount of responses, that is, at least 25, on the

KAP survey. To acquire the most relevant and crucial information about the topic of the study,

the research provided the participants with outrageous options to answer voluntarily. Important

aspects required before the information is filled in SPSS were critically considered, these factors

included, the age of the participants, gender among other aspects (Morse & Field 2015). The

research provided open ended questions to the participants awarding them the opportunity to

explore their mind and knowledge freely. The response to the questions allowed free choice of

decision to all participants, each participant had the choice to strongly disagree, disagree, remain

neutral, agree or maybe strongly agree.

Data Analysis -

The main goal of this cross sectional community based research was to identify, evaluate and

determine the amount of knowledge the senior level college aged nursing and public health

students throughout South Georgia. The data collected from this research was random, mutually
exclusive, was drawn from a different and enough sample (the least sample size, 25 was met) and

was also drawn from independent variables (Morse & Field 2015). Therefore, a chi-square

statistical test will be used to reveal the level of information senior college aged nursing and

public health students have about HIV/AIDs.

Results

All of the respondents should have or have had education in regards to HIV/AIDs from

prior classes in their major. The knowledge category results had the lowest percentages towards

HIV/AIDS basic information. The basic protection methods and transmission results would be

near perfect, but some participants were unaware of some information. Being a student in this

major it was expected the results would be different. Although every participant heard of the

disease, their sources varied. Majority learned from school and others from home or the internet.

Everyone knows about certain topics but there are different ways they may learn about it.

Misconceptions about the multiple modes of transmission were observed, with only 12%

selecting unprotected anal sex and 16% selecting unprotected vaginal sex as main modes of

infection.
 The results were relatively skewed in regards to attitude and the care of those with HIV.

Most were in favor of care for people with the virus, but there were results that pointed in the

direction of fear for caring for those with HIV. This could mainly be due to nurses being the ones

in direct contact with HIV patients - whether that be taking blood or running tests, which could

create a fear of getting the infection themselves. Needles are the biggest threat for transmitting

the disease. Healthcare workers are putting themselves at more risk with caring for an infected

patient. The 44% agreed that a healthcare worker needs to know the status of a patient for their

safety. The one important comparison was that 76% of respondents encourage individuals to get

tested, but 44% of participants do not get tested at all. This comparison is a pivotal part of the

study because everyone should get tested for their protection and know their status.
 The practice category, it was no surprise that majority have had sex before. It was

important to see the results from practicing safe sex because it’s a test to see what the

participants attitudes was towards preventing HIV/AIDS. Only 38% used condoms during sex

and a condom is one of many ways to practice/prevent a disease.

In most countries, students, especially those in advanced learning institutions,

demonstrated a lack of adequate knowledge on the subject of HIV/AIDS results. Based on

research works, it is viewed that the level of knowledge is much low in third world countries
through the aspect cut across all many nations on different continents. For example, in the U.S.A,

the situation is not different from that which is experienced in other different countries across the

globe. Based on the research carried out in some colleges and universities in America, it is

evident that most of the students taking nursing, among other health-related courses, lack

knowledge and about the rate of spread of HIV/AIDS among the students themselves. The

research focused on establishing a correlation between different related factors among the

nursing and public health students in selected institutions and how the elements reflect the

percentage of higher learners lacking awareness on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Risk behaviors

have also been analyzed keenly to establish the extent at which they have impacted on the

general state of HIV/AIDS not only in the selected institutions but also in many tertiary

institutions across the globe.

Based on the research, it is evident that a small number of college students usually have

little or no knowledge at all about HIV/AIDS, something which is partially facilitated by

irresponsible and risky practices adopted by the students in their daily interactions with other

students. It is a matter of the fact that the college or university is among the highest platforms

that offer high grounds of socialization between students from all forms of backgrounds. This

explains the reason why there is a high probability of contracting fatal diseases such as HIV for

college and university students due to a lack of control and monitoring from the parents. The

study was conducted on students of both sexes from Georgia College & State University,

University of Georgia, and Columbus state. Based on the research, the majority of the nursing

and public health students in the various universities had prior knowledge from class about the

general concept of HIV/AIDS. A good number of the students had no idea about the myths and

misconceptions related to AIDS. This factor is related to a lack of awareness of the students
about the transmission of HIV/AIDS. For instance, based on estimations, 12% of students at

Georgia University were found to engage in unprotected sex, while 16% choosing to engage in

unprotected vaginal sex.

According to the research, risk behaviors contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS among

students. An estimated 84% of the samples of students selected from the selected institutions

confirmed that they have at one time engaged in sexual intercourse with their colleagues at the

college, for this case, the nursing, and public health school. Surprisingly, out of the 84%, only

62.5% used a condom every time they had sex with their fellow student. This is knowledge about

HIV, which is out of sight for most college and university students not only in South Georgia but

also in many other higher learning institutions across the world.

The 25 respondents used in the study reflect well the rest of the students and the exact

level of knowledge the students have concerning HIV & AIDS. The research indicated that the

majority of the female students were much willing to share their knowledge concerning

HIV/AIDS. On the other hand, only a small percentage of the male students were willing to

speak up about the topic of HIV/AIDS and what they believe in concerning the same. For

instance, a knowledge gap on HIV/AIDS was assumed to be larger for the male students as

compared to the female students. This is due to the low percentage of male respondents against

the female participants, 68% against 32%, respectively. The research indicated that the majority

of the students strongly agreed on the fact that all health workers have the right to know the HIV

status of the patients they attend as a way of improving their health safety when dealing with the

client.
 This kind of knowledge about HIV/AIDS was not readily available to all the students at

Georgia University, but also a number of students had no idea about private safety when dealing

with patients in hospitals. The percentage of those who disagreed with the survey on health

safety for health practitioners and how to achieve it when dealing with HIV cases reflects a lack

of awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention practices for nurses among other public health officers.

This is something experienced by many health workers across the world basically because the

training colleges and universities do not mostly major on educating the learners on the concept of

HIV/AIDS. It is a subject assumed as self-knowledge in most health institutions not only in

South Georgia but also in many other institutions in the United States.

The research also touched on the treatment of HIV and how the students responded to the

same. For instance, in most societies, it is usually assumed that those infected with HIV/AIDS

end up dying. But based on the student despondence, it is clear that the majority of the nursing

and public health students at Georgia College and state university disagreed on the idea that it is

useless to treat HIV/AIDS patients. An estimated 66% of the participants disagreed with this

biased idea about HIV/AIDS and its treatment. A tiny percentage of the participants agreed on

the idea, but this can be linked to culture, religion, among other factors. Some cultures argue that

HIV/AIDS patients can best be described as an abomination to society. Hence they do not see

any need to offer treatment to the patients.

Based on HIV testing, the study participants showed different decisions on whether to

visit Health centers for HIV testing or not. An estimated 24% of the student respondents agreed

to the idea that they would not wish to visit a clinic for testing basically because everyone would

know their status. This reflects the number of college and university students across the world
who are not willing to be tested in the clinic in fear of recognition by the public, something

which may cause shyness and stigma in their lives. Besides, 16% disagreed with the statement on

testing as it is observed from the student's viewpoint. This shows that there are still some nursing

and public health students in Georgia who have concrete knowledge of the importance of HIV

testing.

Finally, concerning personal HIV status and counseling, the participants responded

openly. For instance, a considerable percentage indicated that they were aware of their HIV

status, while 40% agreed that they did not know their HIV status. This shows that 40% with no

idea on their status was most likely to have never visited a clinic for testing. It shows that 40%

did not know the importance of HIV testing and its impacts. Based on counseling, 76% of the

student participants agreed that people should be encouraged to know their status and begin

counseling about HIV/AIDS as soon as possible if the need arises. Contrary to character

demonstrated by many college and university students not only in south Georgia nursing students

but also in the entire world, through the research, it is evident that the majority of the students in

colleges and tertiary learning institutions lack enough knowledge about HIV/AIDS.

Discussion

Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) studies are useful tools when measuring

different educational means about human immunodeficiency virus. For those going into the

healthcare field, whether it be nursing or public health, these individuals will more than likely

come in contact with someone who is a victim of HIV or AIDs. Having the proper knowledge on

the topic and also not having any underlying stigma for those with patients with HIV will

guarantee that those individuals will be receiving the best care possible. The study was important
because HIV and AIDs is not widely discussed in curriculum anymore. Unless you are taking a

human sexuality class, women's health, or a course on viral infections, one will more than likely

not learn much about HIV and how to properly care for those who are infected. The purpose of

the study was to see how much individuals going into the healthcare field knew about human

immunodeficiency virus and how their knowledge on the subject reflected in their attitudes and

practices.

Results from the survey showed that some common knowledge was lacking in regards to

human immunodeficiency virus which could imply that students are not getting an adequate

education on the topic. Prevention methods should be the first topic taught in regards to the virus

in order for these healthcare workers to be able to properly disperse information to protect high

risk individuals. Condoms, which are a prime mode of protection and which are commonly

taught to all persons, do not always protect someone from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Latex condoms and plastic, or polyurethane, condoms offer the best protection from pregnancy

and sexually transmitted infections. But for those who are allergic to these materials, lambskin

condoms are recommended. Lamb skin, like human skin, has tiny pore openings, which means

even though they protect one from pregnancy, they do not offer protection from STIs. 9 out of 25

(36%) individuals who answered the survey were unaware that lambskin condoms do not offer

the STD protection, along with 6 (24%) individuals being unsure of the answer. This could

potentially mean that time will need to be placed on proper protection techniques in order for the

students to have accurate knowledge on the subject in order for safer sex practices to occur.

Common knowledge seemed to be prominent in different areas in regards to HIV, with

many individuals being well informed about common misconceptions, such as the difference

between pre and post exposure prophylaxis and what these medications can prevent or
circumcision as a way to help reduce the risk of receiving HIV. But, it seems that more attention

needs to be placed in college classrooms on modes of transmission along with protection

methods. But, with all survey based studies, it is important to note that potentially wording of the

questions could have been confusing for some individuals. The survey was made to be relatively

challenging when it came to knowledge based questions, due to the questions being topics that

should have been covered during individuals college education, especially in regards to

protection and transmission.

Attitude based questions seemed to reflect on a majority amount of participants feeling

comfortable taking care of an individual who has HIV. The main area where the respondents

seemed to be skeptical was fear of contracting human immunodeficiency virus in the workplace.

There are many precautions that are now taken in the workforce that drastically reduces the rate

of getting infected with HIV through a patient, but as with any other disease or virus, when

dealing with blood one needs to be cautionary. 40% of participants responded to being neutral in

regards to fear of contracting HIV in the workforce, but seemed more comfortable when asked if

the individuals would care for a relative who had the virus. Only 20% of respondents answered

neutral when asked about caring for the family member, but then why is there much more fear

when dealing with a patient who has HIV. Nurses and any health field worker should be

knowledgeable about post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which would be taken up to 72 hours

after a potential infection in order to prevent the virus from developing.

More of the school's curriculum should look towards firstly, more education about the

risk of actually contracting HIV from a patient, which could then in turn decrease the stigma and

fear that healthcare workers have against those who do have the virus. Then, it is important for

anyone going into the health field to know how to properly handle blood and other bodily fluids
and how to properly dispose of needles in order to prevent coming in contact with HIV. Schools

should already be teaching this sort of information, especially for those who are going through

the nursing route. It seemed that other studies that looked at nursing students, not just in

American, but in many other countries, all had individuals who were slightly afraid to work with

patients who had HIV for fear of developing the virus. The fear could mainly come from the fact

that nursing students will be more likely to come in contact with blood or other bodily fluids

from an individual who is HIV positive, but that does not mean that thoughts should be had on

these patients not getting proper care. Educators should inform their students that they will be

coming across different situations that will make them uncomfortable or fearful, but that the

benefit will more than likely always outweigh the risk. Individuals are typically taught fear and

there is still stigma that revolves around HIV and AIDs, as the school’s responsibility, it should

be to diminish these fears and replace them with logical facts and data about actual contraction

from the workforce.

Practice based questions looked more towards the individuals own practices, but also

what information the participant is gearing to other people. Healthcare workers are taught more

than others about safe sex practices and way to reduce the risk of developing sexually

transmitted infections, not just for themselves, but for others, especially for those who are at a

higher risk. From the results of the practice based area, it seemed that many were not

demonstrating safe sex practices, with 44% of students claiming they have never been tested for

sexually transmitted infection, even though 62.5% do not use a condom every time they have

sex. Having an underlying STI puts one at a higher risk for developing HIV or other sexually

transmitted infections. By practicing safer sex, such as getting test every three months, using a

condom during intercourse every time or until the partners STI status is known, will limit the
spread of not only HIV, but all other infections. The individuals seemed to show more practice in

relation to telling other people to get tested or to use a condom than they were doing themselves.

Safe sex practices are taught in school, especially for those who are in health based majors.

There are also clinics on every college campus that will provide testing for sexually transmitted

infections for free to little cost. This comes down to not the educators, but for the individual to

want to protect themselves and others from STDs along with human immunodeficiency virus. If

the individuals who are trained to teach others about safe practices are not taking part in them,

then what makes these individuals feel like they should or are actually doing so. More

knowledge on the topic of sexually transmitted diseases along with protection will support these

college students to not only make proper decisions in regards to safe sex, but make them more

likely to pass the information on to others.

Limitations

It is important to note that this study was survey based and was also administered online. One

limitation with survey based studies is that individuals tend to stretch the truth in order to favor

those who are hosting the study. This means that it is possible for some of the answers to actually

be untrue, especially in regards to the attitude and practice based questions where an individual

may want to look or sound better. Recommendations for someone who may want to redo this

study would be to firstly, produce the survey to a large scale of individuals. A large group of

participants may mean it is less likely to receive participant bias answers. Secondly, in order to

gain a larger understanding of the education and application of these students in South Georgia,

it would be more beneficial to increase the amount of questions for each topic. The researcher

may then be able to gather more knowledge in regards to what is working for the school system
and what may need to be changed or extended upon. Lastly, this study was based on colleges in

South Georgia, so individuals from different colleges who are receiving different educations,

were compiled together. If a researcher has a longer time period to administer the study, it would

be useful to get respondents from each individual school then be able to compare to see how the

knowledge, attitudes, and practices vary by college.

Recommendations

Based on the findings from this study, the following recommendations can be made:

● Public health and nursing college aged students should further their education in regards

to human immunodeficiency virus in order to provide more adequate care to patients in

need

● Basic sexual education practices need to be further in-depth in college due to many

college aged students have unprotected sexual encounters and therefore putting

themselves and others at high risk of developing sexually transmitted infections

● HIV/AIDS education needs to extend past knowledge based information and also focus

on how to reduce stigma and fear in the workplace

● College aged nursing and public health students will be the individuals that will be more

than likely targeting new diagnoses of HIV, which means that practices need to be in

place not just on formal education in regards to protecting oneself, but also on how to

care for others in regards to - clinic recommendations, knowledge on medications, and

how to reduce the mental pain associated with the virus

Conclusion

This study revealed that all though knowledge was above average for those nursing and

public health students, attitudes and practices seemed to be lacking. Students, even though

educated in the topic of human immunodeficiency virus, still had some biases in regards to

treating patients who were infected. It seemed that fear overweight the benefits of serving

patients with many individuals typically being afraid to get near blood or bodily fluids of those

who have the virus. There also seemed to be a gap in practices, with many of these healthcare

majors being educational in regards to telling other individuals to receive testing for HIV and

sexually transmitted infections, but themselves were not practicing using condoms. It seemed

that more focus needs to be placed not just on education in regards to human immunodeficiency

virus, but on different ways to care for patients and also protect oneself from contracting and

STI. In order for proper care to take place, one has to have the knowledge on top of a proper

attitude and practices in order to provide need for those patients who need it the most.
Appendix A

Georgia and the southern states had the highest HIV diagnoses in 2017. The minority

populations were at a high risk of obtaining the disease. A city like Atlanta has the vulnerability

of its residents easily getting infected. Most of them don’t have healthcare coverage so it will be

difficult for those individuals to receive treatment leading to death. HIV/AIDS is transmitted

more commonly through needles. That’s why KAPs are very important for individuals because it

lets healthcare workers know how educated he/she when it comes to the disease.

Of those infected with the disease, it makes you wonder how much do they know about

HIV/AIDS. Diagnoses continue to rise due to the lack of education about the disease. The

disease rates continue to rise in big cities, such as Atlanta. With a larger amount of sex and

intravenous drug usage, HIV is being passed around quickly from person to person. They are

unaware of the chances they have obtained the disease. This is why KAP plays an important role

in the health field because it informs workers of the knowledge, attitude, and practice of

citizens. 

Without the guidance and education on the disease, Atlanta will remain one of the top cities in

the South with high rates of HIV/AIDS. Just like we conducted this study, residents, especially

those who are at high risk - sex workers, drug users, gay males, etc., need to be provided with a

KAP survey in order to give healthcare workers an idea on what they need to educate those

individuals. 
Appendix B

Sample size for this cross sectional study was calculated as minimum sample size based on the
prevalence of "education in regards to Human Immunodeficiency Virus" using the formula:

n0 > Z2 p (1- p)

d2

where;

Z = 1.96 (0.05 level)

P = known or estimated previous prevalence/proportion

d = margin of error (typically designated by researcher up to 5%)

Questionnaire

Knowledge, Attitude, & Practice Towards HIV/AIDs

This survey is geared towards senior nursing students and public health students that attend a

college in rural Georgia to gain knowledge about HIV/AIDs from those who will be most likely

exposed to someone who has the disease.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScKHDUN7I-
i7NBxcxpvn2mu7jDmDi5_Dbf82DZtRHrc_FxquA/viewform?usp=sf_link
 Consent Form

The purpose of this research project is to study the KAPs of nursing and public health students
in Southern Georgia will allow college systems to design proper teaching techniques in regard
to HIV/AIDs education.

This is a research project being conducted by Graduate Students at Georgia College and State
University.

Your participation in this research study is voluntary. You may choose not to participate. If you decide to
participate in this research survey, you may withdraw at any time. If you decide not to participate in this
study or if you would like to withdrawal from participating at any time, you will not be penalized.

The procedure involves filling an online survey that will take approximately 5 minutes. Your responses
will be confidential, and we do not collect identifying information such as your name, email address or IP
address. The survey questions will be about the knowledge, attitude, and practice about HIV/AIDS.

We will do our best to keep your information confidential. All data is stored in a password protected
electronic format. To help protect your confidentiality, the surveys will not contain information that will
personally identify you. The results of this study will be used for scholarly purposes only and may be
shared with Georgia College & State University faculty and students.

If you have any questions about the research study, please contact James Hagins, Tanganika Ramos, and
Hannah Turner

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• you voluntarily agree to participate
• you are at least 18 years of age  

If you do not wish to participate in the research study, please decline participation by checking on the
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References

1. "HIV/AIDS." Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 13 Feb. 2020,
 www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids/symptoms-causes/syc-20373524.

Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.

2. "HIV Basics." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 March 2020,

www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.

3. "HIV Basics." HIV.gov, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2020,

www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics. Accessed 19 Apr. 2020.

4. Gregory M. Herek, John P. Capitanio, Keith F. Widaman, “HIV-Related Stigma and Knowledge in

the United States: Prevalence and Trends, 1991–1999”, American Journal of Public

Health 92, no. 3 (March 1, 2002): pp. 371-377

5. Morse, J. M., & Field, P. A. (2015). Qualitative research methods for health professionals (Vol. 2).

Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE publications.

6. Willis, H. (2019). Attacking AIDS in Atlanta. U.S. News - The Civic Report, C10–C14.