Knowledge and attitudes towards AIDS: a comparison between Arab and Jewish professionals living in Israel

Abstract

This paper investigates similarities and differences between Arab and Jewish professionals living in Israel regarding their knowledge and attitudes about AIDS. Although AIDS in Israel is not considered to be a pressing crisis, the aim of the research is to document and analyse what professionals in the helping professions – Arabs and Jews alike – know and how they feel about AIDS. The study also explores thoughts and feelings concerning AIDS–related education and training. This is the first scholarly attempt to compare Israeli and Arab professionals’ attitudes and knowledge about such a stigmatised topic as the AIDS epidemic. The study sample consists of 350 professionals, including 218 Jews and 132 Arabs, working in various social and health–care agencies providing services to the Arab population. Professionals include social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, and special education teachers and counsellors. Results indicate that Jewish professionals scored significantly higher on both knowledge and attitude scales than did their Arab counterparts. Two regression models predicting both knowledge and attitudes are presented, and their implications are discussed using several frameworks: the status of the disease, including perception of the threat; perception of adequacy of training; educational environment; and the socialisation process of Arab professionals in Israel

Nurses' knowledge and attitudes to HIV/AIDS—An international comparison between Finland, Estonia and Lithuania

“…In our study, we found a strong correlation between nurses' level of knowledge and attitudes towards PLHIV. This finding is supported by Azaiza and Ben‐Ari 22 and Walusimbi and Okonsky 20 and is contrary to the findings of Chen and Holzemer 15 …”

“…The strongest area of knowledge seems to be modes of HIV transmission, and the weakest HIV pathophysiology 6,7,10,14–20 . Studies made in Nigeria, Iran, China and Israel found almost every nurse to know that HIV can be contracted via blood and sexual intercourse and that normal casual contacts do not increase the risk of infection 10,14,21,22 . There are still nurses who have misconceptions about HIV detection from oral secretion, urine, sweat and tears 10,14,21 …”

“…Previous participation in HIV/AIDS‐related education programmes influenced knowledge levels positively, as well as previous experience on nursing PLHIV 18,21,23 . In some studies, age was significantly related with people being more knowledgeable than older people 7,22 …”

“…The attitude scales used have varied considerably across studies with the mean of the different attitude scales ranging between 51% and 78% of mostly positive attitudes scores 10,15–26 . Many studies also reported high levels of sympathy and empathy towards PLHIV 25,27 .…”

“…Evidence on the relationship between attitudes and knowledge is conflicting. Some studies have reported a significant positive relationship between levels of knowledge and attitudes towards PLHIV, 19,20,22 whereas some studies have found the correlation to be negative 15 . Predictors for positive attitude were previous experience nursing HIV/AIDS patients, 19 gender, age and having no children 7,18–20,22,24 …”