HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS: DECONSTRUCTING THE DISCRIMINATORY ATTITUDE OF YOUNG CAREGIVERS IN NIGERIA.

Abstract

Regardless of the cross-cutting edge and landslide achievements recorded in clinical management approaches of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the 21st century and the correspondingly astounding chain of successes achieved in the production of drugs used effectively in transmuting AIDS status from a severe and deadly health issue to a life-long but manageable condition; people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are still stigmatised and heavily discriminated against in many parts of the world. Based on the preceding, this study assessed the knowledge and attitude of young healthcare professionals in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) toward HIV/AIDS patients using a descriptive cross sectional survey research design and a multistage sampling technique. A stratified sampling technique was adopted to select states across five geopolitical zones. Local Governments Areas (LGAs) within the states were selected using simple random sampling technique and the purposive sampling technique was employed for the selection of 325 participants. The results of the study indicated that there is a significant association between HIV/AIDS-related societal norms and region of origin X 2 (2, N = 102) = 10.91, p = 0.004. Also, there is a significant association between participants’ personal and religious beliefs X 2 (2, N = 287) = 6.40, p = 0.041. Participants who were above 25 years old (108.3 ±14.66), male (112.97±13.47), had a high level of religiosity (105.68±13.98), and participants of Northern origin (110.71±14.30) had higher mean scores on the HPASS compared to their counterparts. The study concludes that associations between HIV/AIDS-related societal norms and region of origin, personal and religious belief, and significantly impact on the attitude of healthcare professionals towards persons living with HIV/AIDS.