Objective. To describe attitudes, knowledge and perceptions of nurses and nursing students towards the people who live with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Methodology. Bibliographic study in which six electronic databases were searched using the key words: “attitude”, “knowledge”, “nursing”, perceptions”, “HIV/AIDS”. Publications between 1998 and 2007 were considered. Results. 560 articles limited by scientific researches or ministerial reports membership were retrieved. Finally a total of 38 publications were selected, the analysis showed that the level of knowledge of nurses and nursing students about PLWHA is good and the attitudes towards HIV/AIDS have improved over time. Nurses and nursing students have been able to identify both positive and negative aspects in the PLWHA care personally and professionally because there is a more favourable perception. Conclusion. There are few studies in Latin America and Chile that study the attitudes and knowledge of the studied population towards PLWHA. According to publications found the knowledge and attitudes have improved because the perception is more favourable.

Objective. To assess the relationship between knowledge and self efficacy associated to HIV/AIDS in women from Chile with social disadvantages.  Methodology. Correlation study that uses the baseline assessment of the “Testing an HIV and AIDS intervention in Chilean women” study, carried out between 2006 and 2008, with a sample of 496 women between 18 and 49 years old, in 2 neighborhoods of Santiago de Chile. Participants answered a structured survey conducted by trained interviewers. The survey included questions about sociodemographic information, risk behaviors and a self-efficacy knowledge scale among others.  Results. The average age was 32.3+9.1 years, 72.2% live with their partner and 42.7% have completed high school education. The mean score of HIV infection knowledge was 8.9+2.5, while the mean score for the three scales used to measure self-efficacy were: “Peer rules” =9.8+3.6, “Risk reduction intentions =12.2+3.6 and “Self Efficacy Form”=20.2+4.7. HIV knowledge had a weak positive correlation with the “Risk reduction intentions” scale (r=0.19; p< 0.0001) and the “Self Efficacy Form” scale (r=0.34; p< 0.0001), however there was no correlation with the “Safe sex peer rules” (r=0.13;p=0.78).  Conclusion. There is a weak positive correlation between the HIV/AIDS related knowledge and self-efficacy among Chilean with social disadvantages.

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INTRODUCCIÓNEl progresivo aumento de casos de VIH/ Sida en la Región de Arica y Parinacota y sus altos índices en mortalidad por Sida constituyen un problema prioritario de salud pública regional. Esta situación merece un análisis epidemiológico de la región y de sus diferencias con el país. OBJETIVOSAnalizar y comparar tasas regionales y nacionales de notificación en VIH/Sida y mortalidad por Sida, según variables como edad, sexo, nivel de escolaridad y condición sexual.Identificar las variables sociodemográficas regionales que presentan mayores diferencias con el país. METODOLOGÍAEstudio descriptivo, transversal y analíti-co, cuya muestra la constituye el total de casos notificados por VIH/Sida en la Región de Arica y Parinacota (1987 a 2009), con datos recopilados a través del sistema de vigilancia VIH/Sida del DEIS-Minsal (tasas de mortalidad estandarizadas por edad). Variables estudiadas: edad, sexo, escolaridad y condición sexual. Se agrupó la incidencia en quinquenios desde 1990 al 2009, analizando la evolución de estas variables a través de estadística descriptiva. RESULTADOSLa Región de Arica y Parinacota mantiene tasas de mortalidad sobre el promedio nacional desde el 2001, año en que presenta una tasa de 6,7 por cien mil habitantes, duplicando al país (3,6 por cien mil). Para el 2005, la tasa de 7,3 por cien mil triplica al país (2,4 por cien mil). Del total de casos, el 92,2% son hombres y el 7,8 % mujeres, destacando la más alta tasa de defunción en hombres de 40 a 49 años, y en mujeres mayores de 60 años.En la Región, la tasa acumulada de notificación por VIH/Sida (301 casos por cien mil habitantes), duplica la tasa nacional. El 2008 registra tasa de notificación más alta del período, (36,3 por cien mil) 3,9 veces más que la tasa país en mismo año.Al analizar las notificaciones por quinquenios (1990-2009), los casos en hombres superan a las mujeres tanto en Sida como en VIH; en el último quinquenio (2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)) la proporción de mujeres aumenta, especialmente en Sida donde crece un 170% en relación al quinquenio anterior. El 22,4% del total de los casos notificados en la región corresponde a mujeres, porcentaje superior al que registra el país (16,2%), de manera que la razón hombre/ mujer (2,3 para Sida y 2,7 para VIH) es la más baja del país (5,7 y 3,7 respectivamente).La notificación en el segmento de 20 a 29 años (563,4 casos por cien mil habitantes) duplica a la tasa país (292 por cien mil), mientras que en el grupo de 10 a 19 años (120,5 por (1) Seremi de Salud. Región de Arica y Parinacota. edasiches@gmail.com (2) Seremi de Salud.

Objective. To explore the relationship between knowledge level and occupational risk exposure to HIV/AIDS in primary care health workers.  Methodology. Analytical cross-sectional study. 720 health workers from Santiago answered a survey about HIV/AIDS that included: knowledge level (appropriate, inappropriate), occupational risk (with or without risk), and control variables (age, gender, health center, education and marital status). Descriptive and association analysis were performed. Odds Ratio (OR) was estimated through simple and multiple regressions logistics.  Results. 58.7% of the participants reported HIV occupational risk. 63.8% of the participants from the exposed group reported an appropriate level of knowledge, versus 36.1% of the non-exposed group (Adjusted OR of 3.1, IC95%OR: 2.0-4.8, p < 0.0001). Technicians and cleaning staff reported a lower proportion of appropriate level of knowledge compared to the employees with college education (p < 0.0001).  Conclusion. The level of HIV/AID occupational risk is directly associated with the level of knowledge of the disease.