Differences in Attitude and Awareness towards HIV/AIDS in Young, office going Males & Females

Objective: Young people, who tend to be idealistic and motivated, have inadequate knowledge, pessimistic attitudes, and risky practices which are major hindrances in preventing the spread of HIV. The study aims to assess HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices in young office going Males and Females. Observations: This study was a questionnaire based survey, consisted of 25 questions regarding knowledge, awareness and attitude toward HIV/ AIDS affected individuals, conducted on (n=200) (age distribution 25-35 years) to explore the levels of knowledge, awareness and their attitude about HIV. Chi (x2) square test for comparison of two groups (Males and Females) was conducted and P <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The results showed statistically significant difference in attitude of males and females regarding HIV /AIDS. The study showed that the females were not fully aware and also has less knowledge compared to males and hence had refusal attitude towards HIV/AIDS. The awareness of women’s needs to be improved so as to have better understanding about HIV/AIDS. It is clearly indicated that there is still a stigma attached in the educated groups, especially more so in the females. Social media can play a key role in spreading awareness and improving knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Conclusion: Spectrum of myths and misperceptions especially in women emphasizing the need of education that recognizes the social context of attitude towards HIV. Results from this study may contribute to the development of appropriate educational and training programme which in turn, may assist in achieving the elusive goal in future.