Discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS by health care students of Islamic University in Uganda

Abstract

In May 2016, the World Health Assembly developed the Global Health Sector Strategy on HIV for 2016–2021 which strives to ensure zero HIV related discrimination especially in health institutions and settings. The main objective of this study is to determine the influence of HIV/AIDS fear, knowledge and attitude on discrimination of PLWHA by health care students. A cross sectional design was used for the study while stratified sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) while bivariate (chi square) was used to make inference regarding the entire population. Results indicate that a majority, 133 (67.2%) of the respondents, were found to have low levels of discrimination. Over half of the respondents, 114 (57.6%), entertained high fear on HIV/AIDS issues. Almost all the respondents, 189 (95.5%), had high knowledge of HIV/AIDS. On HIV/AIDS related attitude majority of the respondents, 115 (58.1%), had positive attitudes. Fear and knowledge do not influence discrimination of PLWHA, while attitude towards HIV/AIDS patients influences discrimination of PLWHA. The findings on the level of discrimination of PLWHA by health care students calls for concerted efforts by the management of IUIU, tutors in School of Nursing and relevant HIV/AIDS agencies and donors to harmonize strategies and actions towards addressing discrimination of PLWHA in order to achieve global and national aspirations of zero discrimination. There is need for tutors in School of Nursing to ensure appropriate delivery of HIV/AIDS instruction targeting behavioral (negative attitude) aspects of HIV/AIDS discrimination in order to ensure its reduction and possible termination.