Pre- and post-HIV test knowledge, attitude, behavior, and practice of people living with HIV and AIDS by questionnaire pattern

CONTEXT: In spite of intensive information, education, and communication (IEC) activities, the incidence of new HIV cases is also increasing. Its incidence for the past 3 years was 375, 385, and 457 at our tertiary care center. AIMS: The impact of IEC activities on the society was assessed in this study. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a retrospective, epidemiological study conducted by a questionnaire pattern. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The questionnaire pattern was issued to 100 newly diagnosed PLWHA, which evaluated the knowledge, attitude, behavior, and practice pre- and posttesting. Every month, follow-up was done for 3 months for further assessment. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: One-way ANOVA test was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Out of the 100 patients, 37 were male, 60 were female, and 3 were transgender. Academic education had a significant association, while occupation had no association with the awareness. Nearly 80% of the new cases were identified by the government institutions. Around 33% of the study group were first identified on sexually transmitted infection screening and 20% by skin problems. Nearly 79% of the married couples revealed their status to their spouse. Out of 79% of single individuals willing to get married, 50% were willing to reveal their status to their future partner. Almost 94% of the participants were willing to undergo antiretroviral treatment. Acceptance by family and society was reflected by 87% and 68%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although this study reveals the success of IEC activities, the subtle population who are still undergoing high-risk behavior after knowing their status should be targeted for achieving zero new case identification. This study gives hope to reach that day in the near future.