Assessing the knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS among the general population and health care professionals in MENA region

INTRODUCTION: Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection continue to represent a global health concern influenced by various social, economic, and cultural factors. The MENA are among the top regions in the world with the fastest-growing HIV epidemic. Thus, adequate knowledge and a positive attitude of people toward HIV/AIDS are of utmost importance to prevent the spreading of the disease. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of the public and healthcare population toward HIV/AIDs. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among residents within our population from October 2018 until August 2019. An anonymous online questionnaire was used to investigate the population’s demographic characteristics, HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, and attitudes toward HIV-infected patients. Participants completed a 40-item questionnaire designed to measure their knowledge and attitude toward HIV/AIDS. The data was collected via surveys, administered through electronic tablets to the participants at public places (n = 5,757) and through an online version of the questionnaire on Google Forms (n = 2500), which was sent through social media platforms. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data using the R-statistical software program. RESULTS: A total of 8,257 participants were included in our analysis. Saudi Arabian citizens represented 79% of the participants, while participants from the MENA countries represented 11.7% and 3% from the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Fifty-nine (59%) knew that HIV is a contagious infection, and 13.8% were unaware that HIV could be transmitted sexually. A few healthcare professionals reported negative attitudes toward HIV infected patients. Many risk factors, including age, gender, nationality, and education, significantly affected the knowledge and attitude scores. In this survey, we found that social media is the primary source of participants’ information. CONCLUSIONS: Overall correct knowledge score of individuals about HIV/AIDS was relatively low. This study showed that the general population was knowledgeable to a certain degree about HIV/AIDS and its modes of transmission. Nevertheless, they lack a detailed understanding of the disease’s nature, modes of transmission, and existing treatment. Policymakers in the region should further eliminate social discrimination and stigma in HIV-infected patients.