Paper
Thursday, July 12, 2007
HIV/AIDS related knowledge of women who practice prostitution
Maria Teresa Antunes, PhD, Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing Domain, Coimbra Nursing School, Coimbra, Portugal, Maria da Conceição Fernandes, RN, Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Lisboa, Portugal, Vitor João Teixeira, RN, Centro de Saúde Bom Jesus, Centro de Saúde Bom Jesus, Funchal, Portugal, and Zulmira Bonifácio Caria, RN, Hospital Ortopédico Sant´ ana, Hospital Ortopédico Sant 'ana, Parede, Portugal.
| Learning Objective #1: understand the HIV/AIDS related knowledge of a group of women who practice prostitution. |
| Learning Objective #2: understand the relationship between level of education, age, frequency of condom use and HIV/AIDS related knowledge.
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Aims: to identify the HIV/ AIDS related knowledge of women who practice prostitution in the city of Coimbra. The HIV/AIDS related knowledge comprises six areas: epidemiology, etiology, the development of the HIV, symptomatology, mechanisms of contagion and preventive measures.
Sample: 30 women, aged 22 to 66 years, mean age 37,17 and standard deviation 11, 07. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered in an interview which included sociodemographic variables, frequency of condom use, and the HIV Knowledge Questionnaire of Carey, Morrison-Beeddy & Johnson (1997), adapted by Cruz (1998).
Results: The HIV/AIDS related knowledge of women, in a scale of 0 to 62, scored between 38 -50 in the majority, mean of 46,90 and standard deviation of 6,68. Significant differences were found between the HIV/ AIDS related knowledge and provenience area; women raised in urban areas have shown greater knowledge. No correlation was found between HIV/AIDS related knowledge and age, and no difference was found between knowledge and level of education. Only 46,66% of the women reported having health vigilance once a year, the others hardly ever or never. The major sources of information about HIV/ AIDS were media and health professionals. Only 53,33% of the women reported always using condom in sexual relationships, and their knowledge about HIV/AIDS was higher; the others used it hardly ever or never. The years of practice of prostitution ranged between 2 and 40, mean 9,63 and standard deviation 8,88 years.
As a result of this study one can emphasize the need for nurses to continue investing in health education on HIV/AIDS prevention, since this is a group risk.