Wong Li-Ping, Chin Caroline-Kwong Leng, Low Wah-Yun, Jaafar Nasruddin
Health Research Development Unit (HeRDU), University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, USA.
Medscape J Med. 2008 Jun 24;10(6):148.
HIV/AIDS poses a serious threat to young people, both in Malaysia and throughout the world. A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HIV/AIDS among the Malaysian public. This article reports the findings of knowledge about HIV/AIDS among young adults.
A total of 1075 young adult respondents aged 15-24 years participated in this survey. The response rate was 82.2%.
The data indicated that HIV/AIDS knowledge among the respondents was moderate, with a mean knowledge score of 20.1 out of 32 points. The great majority had adequate knowledge of the major routes of HIV transmission, but fewer were aware of other modes of transmission, such as tattooing and piercing, sharing personal items, and breast-feeding from an infected mother. The great majority knew that HIV is not transmitted by mosquito bites, sharing meals, casual contact, and using public swimming pools and toilets.
Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS exist although generally knowledge on HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention was accurate. Education and intervention programs are needed to increase the level of knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS. The findings have important implications for the development of primary HIV/AIDS prevention programs for young adults in Malaysia.
在马来西亚乃至全世界，艾滋病毒/艾滋病都对年轻人构成严重威胁。开展了一项全国性横断面调查，以评估马来西亚公众对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的知识、态度和信念。本文报告了关于年轻成年人对艾滋病毒/艾滋病知识的调查结果。
共有1075名年龄在15至24岁之间的年轻成年受访者参与了本次调查。回复率为82.2%。
数据表明，受访者对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的知识掌握程度中等，在满分32分的情况下，平均知识得分为20.1分。绝大多数人对艾滋病毒的主要传播途径有足够的了解，但了解纹身和穿孔、共用个人物品以及感染母亲母乳喂养等其他传播方式的人较少。绝大多数人知道艾滋病毒不会通过蚊虫叮咬、共用餐食、日常接触以及使用公共游泳池和厕所传播。
尽管对艾滋病毒/艾滋病传播和预防的总体知识是准确的，但对艾滋病毒/艾滋病仍存在误解。需要开展教育和干预项目，以提高对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的知识水平和认识。这些发现对马来西亚针对年轻成年人的初级艾滋病毒/艾滋病预防项目的开展具有重要意义。
