Table 1.
Description of ALWHIV’s HIV Knowledge assessments and distribution of responses at baseline and 12 months follow-up
| Baseline | 12 months | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sample | Males | Females | X2 (P) | Total sample | Males | Females | X2 (P) | ||
| HIV/AIDS knowledge assessment questions | Categories | N = 635 n (%) | N = 281 n (%) | N = 354 n (%) | N = 635 n (%) | N = 281 n (%) | N = 354 n (%) | ||
| Select if safe, unsafe, or unsure | |||||||||
| Sharing needles or syringes (empiso) with an HIV-infected person | Correct | 510 (80.3) | 217 (77.2) | 293 (82.8) | 3.0 (0.08) | 522 (82.2) | 238 (84.7) | 284 (80.2) | 2.2 (0.14) |
| Incorrect | 125 (19.7) | 64 (22.8) | 61 (17.2) | 113 (17.8) | 43 (15.3) | 70 (17.8) | |||
| Having unprotected sex with an HIV-infected person | Correct | 502 (79.1) | 217 (77.2) | 285 (80.5) | 1.0 (0.31) | 518 (81.6) | 241 (85.8) | 277 (78.3) | 5.9 (< 0.05) |
| Incorrect | 133 (20.9) | 64 (22.8) | 69 (19.5) | 117 (18.6) | 40 (14.2) | 77 (21.7) | |||
| Holding hands with an HIV-infected person | Correct | 311 (49.0) | 127 (45.2) | 184 (52.0) | 2.9 (0.09) | 313 (49.3) | 160 (56.9) | 153 (43.2) | 11.8 (< 0.001) |
| Incorrect | 324 (51.0) | 154 (54.8) | 170 (48.0) | 322 (50.7) | 121 (43.1) | 201 (56.8) | |||
| Touching toilet seats, spoons, cups, or other objects after a person infected with HIV/AIDS | Correct | 255 (40.2) | 95 (33.8) | 160 (45.2) | 8.5 (< 0.01) | 267 (42.1) | 130 (46.3) | 137 (38.7) | 3.7 (< 0.05) |
| Incorrect | 380 (59.8) | 186 (66.2) | 194 (54.8) | 368 (58.0) | 151 (53.7) | 217 (61.3) | |||
| Kissing a person who is infected with HIV/AIDS | Correct | 127 (20.0) | 53 (18.9) | 74 (20.9) | 0.41 (0.52) | 135 (21.3) | 65 (23.1) | 70 (19.8) | 1.1 (0.30) |
| Incorrect | 508 (80.0) | 228 (81.1) | 280 (79.1) | 500 (78.7) | 216 (76.9) | 284 (80.2) | |||
| Select if true, untrue, or unsure | |||||||||
| You can look at a person and tell if they are infected with HIV/AIDS | Correct | 249 (39.2) | 100 (35.6) | 149 (42.1) | 2.8 (0.09) | 273 (43.0) | 107 (38.1) | 166 (47.0) | 4.9 (< 0.05) |
| Incorrect | 386 (60.8) | 181 (64.4) | 205 (57.9) | 362 (57.0) | 174 (61.9) | 188 (53.0) | |||
| A pregnant woman who has HIV/AIDS can give her unborn baby the virus | Correct | 402 (63.3) | 189 (67.3) | 213 (60.2) | 3.4 (0.07) | 402 (63.3) | 186 (66.2) | 216 (61.0) | 1.8 (0.18) |
| Incorrect | 233 (36.7) | 92 (32.7) | 141 (39.8) | 233 (36.7) | 95 (33.8) | 138 (39.0) | |||
| There is a cure for HIV/AIDS | Correct | 246 (38.7) | 103 (36.6) | 143 (40.4) | .92 (.34) | 286 (45.0) | 120 (42.7) | 166 (46.9) | 1.11 (0.29) |
| Incorrect | 389 (61.3) | 178 (63.4) | 211 (59.6) | 349 (55.0) | 161 (57.3) | 188 (53.1) | |||
| If a woman is using birth control pills, she is protected from HIV infection | Correct | 191 (30.1) | 90 (32.0) | 101 (28.5) | 0.91 (0.34) | 220 (34.7) | 94 (33.5) | 126 (35.6) | 0.32 (0.57) |
| Incorrect | 444 (69.9) | 191 (68.0) | 253 (71.5) | 415 (65.4) | 187 (66.5) | 228 (64.4) | |||
| You can get HIV from a mosquito bite | Correct | 319 (50.2) | 126 (44.8) | 193 (54.5) | 5.9 (< 0.05) | 354 (55.8) | 157 (55.9) | 197 (55.7) | 0.003 (0.96) |
| Incorrect | 316 (49.8) | 155 (55.2) | 161 (45.5) | 281 (44.3) | 124 (44.1) | 157 (44.3) | |||
| You can get HIV from using the same washing basin with an HIV infected person | Correct | 332 (52.3) | 130 (46.3) | 202 (57.1) | 7.3 (< 0.01) | 364 (57.3) | 164 (58.4) | 200 (56.5) | 0.22 (0.64) |
| Incorrect | 303 (47.7) | 151 (53.7) | 152 (42.9) | 271 (42.7) | 117 (41.6) | 154 (43.5) | |||
| There is a test to determine if a person has HIV/AIDS | Correct | 557 (87.7) | 246 (87.5) | 311 (87.9) | 0.01 (0.91) | 545 (85.8) | 256 (91.1) | 289 (81.6) | 11.54 (< 0.001) |
| Incorrect | 78 (12.3) | 35 (12.5) | 43 (12.2) | 90 (14.2) | 25 (8.9) | 65 (18.4) | |||
| Anyone can become infected with HIV/AIDS | Correct | 454 (71.5) | 198 (70.5) | 256 (72.3) | 0.26 (0.61) | 493 (77.6) | 230 (81.9) | 263 (74.3) | 5.15 (< 0.05) |
| Incorrect | 181 (28.5) | 83 (29.5) | 98 (72.3) | 142 (22.4) | 51 (18.1) | 91 (25.7) | |||
| People can lower their chance of becoming infected with HIV by | |||||||||
| Not having sexual intercourse with anyone | Correct | 427 (67.2) | 192 (68.3) | 235 (66.4) | 0.27 (0.60) | 414 (65.2) | 190 (67.6) | 224 (63.3) | 1.30 (0.25) |
| Incorrect | 208 (32.8) | 89 (31.7) | 119 (33.6) | 221 (34.8) | 91 (32.4) | 130 (36.7) | |||
| Using condoms | Correct | 400 (63.0) | 184 (65.5) | 216 (61.0) | 1.34 (0.25) | 425 (66.9) | 210 (74.7) | 215 (60.7) | 13.86 (< 0.001) |
| Incorrect | 235 (37.0) | 97 (34.5) | 138 (39.0) | 210 (33.1) | 71 (25.3) | 139 (39.3) | |||
| Having sexual intercourse with only one partner, who is not infected with HIV/AIDS | Correct | 369 (58.1) | 161 (57.3) | 208 (58.8) | 0.14 (0.71) | 382 (60.2) | 185 (65.8) | 197 (55.7) | 6.78 (< 0.01) |
| Incorrect | 266 (41.9) | 120 (42.7) | 146 (41.2) | 253 (39.8) | 96 (34.2) | 157 (44.3) | |||
| CD4 count testing measures how many soldier cells we have in our blood that fight HIV | Correct | 524 (82.5) | 226 (80.4) | 298 (84.2) | 1.5 (0.22) | 515 (81.1) | 245 (87.2) | 270 (76.3) | 12.18 (< 0.001) |
| Incorrect | 111 (17.5) | 55 (19.6) | 56 (15.8) | 120 (18.9) | 36 (12.8) | 84 (23.7) | |||
| When a person is feeling healthy or their CD4 count is high it is okay for them to stop taking their medication | Correct | 390 (61.4) | 155 (55.2) | 235 (66.4) | 8.3 (< 0.01) | 374 (58.9) | 171 (60.9) | 203 (57.3) | 0.78 (0.37) |
| Incorrect | 245 (38.6) | 126 (44.8) | 119 (33.6) | 261 (41.1) | 110 (39.1) | 151 (42.7) | |||
| When a person’s CD4 count drops he/she has fewer soldier cells to fight infections | Correct | 373 (58.7) | 165 (58.7) | 208 (58.8) | < 0.001 (0.99) | 358 (56.5) | 190 (67.6) | 168 (47.6) | 25.52 (< 0.001) |
| Incorrect | 262 (41.3) | 116 (58.7) | 146 (41.2) | 276 (43.5) | 91 (32.4) | 185 (52.4) | |||
| Viral load tests measure how much HIV is in the blood | Correct | 454 (71.5) | 197 (70.1) | 257 (72.6) | 0.48 (0.49) | 425 (66.9) | 209 (74.4) | 216 (61.0) | 12.63 (< 0.001) |
| Incorrect | 181 (28.5) | 84 (29.9) | 97 (27.4) | 210 (33.1) | 72 (25.6) | 138 (39.0) | |||
| If the viral load is “undetectable”, this means there is no virus left in the body | Correct | 210 (33.1) | 80 (28.5) | 130 (36.7) | 4.8 (< 0.05) | 208 (32.8) | 90 (32.0) | 118 (33.3) | 0.12 (0.73) |
| Incorrect | 425 (66.9) | 201 (71.5) | 224 (63.3) | 427 (67.2) | 191 (68.0) | 236 (66.7) | |||
| If we say that the virus is “resistant” to a particular medicine that means that the medicine no longer works to lower or slow down the virus | Correct | 322 (50.7) | 152 (54.1) | 170 (48.0) | 2.3 (0.13) | 353 (55.6) | 190 (67.6) | 163 (46.1) | 29.52 (< 0.001) |
| Incorrect | 313 (49.3) | 129 (45.9) | 184 (52.0) | 282 (44.4) | 91 (32.4) | 191 (53.9) | |||
| The virus can become resistant if medication doses are missed | Correct | 433 (68.2) | 193 (68.7) | 240 (67.8) | 0.06 (0.81) | 421 (66.3) | 227 (80.8) | 194 (54.8) | 47.32 (< 0.001) |
| Incorrect | 202 (31.8) | 88 (31.3) | 114 (32.2) | 214 (33.7) | 54 (19.2) | 160 (45.2) | |||
| HIV can be passed from mother to child | Correct | 509 (80.2) | 224 (79.7) | 285 (80.5) | 0.06 (0.80) | 542 (85.4) | 236 (84.0) | 306 (86.4) | 0.76 (0.39) |
| Incorrect | 126 (19.8) | 57 (20.3) | 69 (19.5) | 93 (14.6) | 45 (16.0) | 48 (13.6) | |||
| Total HIV/AIDS knowledge score | [Range], mean (SD) | [24–49], 38.5 (4.7) | 38.1 (4.6) | 38.7 (4.7) | − 1.61 (0.12) | [25–48], 38.3 (4.5) | 39.3 (4.3) | 37.6 (4.5) | 4.73 (< 0.001) |
Incorrect responses included unsure and the incorrect response, Bold means statistically significant