| OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the knowledge of Iranian women about HIV/AIDS and whether they had accepting attitudes
towards people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and sought to identify factors correlated with their
knowledge and attitudes.
METHODS: The data analyzed in the present study were taken from Iran’s Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey, a
national survey conducted in 2015. In total, 42,630 women aged 15-49 years were identified through multi-stage stratified cluster
random sampling and interviewed. Associations of the socio-demographic characteristics of participants with their knowledge
and attitudes were examined using multiple logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS: The majority (79.0%) of Iranian women had heard about HIV/AIDS, but only 19.1% had a comprehensive knowledge.
In addition, only 15.4% of women had accepting attitudes toward people with HIV. Being older, married, more highly
educated, and wealthier were factors associated with having more comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS, and living in urban
areas was associated with having more positive attitudes toward people with HIV.
CONCLUSIONS: The relatively poor knowledge of Iranian women and the low prevalence of accepting attitudes toward people
living with HIV highlight the need to develop policies and interventions to overcome this issue, which would be a basis for further
prevention of HIV/AIDS in Iran. |