UAE students lack knowledge on HIV, poll shows

ABU DHABI // Half of 2,300 university students in a poll had poor knowledge of HIV, with some thinking you could catch the virus by touching an infected person or a toilet.

And four in five say they hold negative attitudes towards those living with the disease.

Researchers have called a for a public awareness campaign to fight misconceptions about HIV — and the stigma against those who have it — after the survey of 2,294 UAE students in four universities.

It found 48 per cent had a low knowledge about the virus.

Many knew the main modes of transmission, through blood, semen or other bodily fluids, but did not know the virus could be transmitted from mother to child during delivery or breastfeeding.

The study authors also found there was “considerable misconception” about other forms of transmission.

Almost a third wrongly believed HIV could be caught from a public toilet, while others thought it could be transmitted by mosquito bite or by touching an infected person.

And 17 per cent of Emirati respondents believed HIV could not be transmitted by having unprotected sex with an infected person, compared with 9.5 per cent of non-Emiratis.

When asked whether HIV could be successfully treated, fewer than half, or 44 per cent, knew there was no cure.

“The findings provide strong evidence that there is a need to advocate for appropriate national HIV-Aids awareness raising campaigns in universities to reduce the gaps in knowledge and stigmatising attitudes,” said Dalia Haroun, assistant professor at Zayed University and lead author.

Of those questioned, 406 were men and 1,888 women. Fifty-nine per cent were Emiratis while 47 other nationalities were also represented, mostly Syrians, Jordanians and Palestinians.

“Compared with non-Emiratis, Emirati students had significantly lower levels of knowledge on the correct and incorrect methods of acquiring HIV,” the study found.

“Overall, knowledge of HIV treatment was poor,” said the study’s authors, while stigma towards those living with the disease was “very high”.

More than a third, or 36 per cent of respondents said that HIV-infected persons had “only themselves to blame”.

When students were asked what the university should do with any students who tested HIV-positive, 28 per cent said they should be isolated and 11 per cent thought they should be “sent away”.

“The stigmatising attitudes of respondents, especially Emirati students, represent a challenge as almost half of the respondents agreed with stigmatising and discriminative actions,” said the study’s authors.

“Stigma can be a serious barrier for the HIV-Aids response and makes young people less likely to get information on HIV, get tested or treated for HIV.”

The study found 85 per cent of students expressed negative attitudes towards people living with HIV, with Emirati and single students significantly holding more negative attitudes than non-Emiratis and those who were married.

Rates of infection in the Middle East and North Africa region are among the lowest worldwide, yet Mena is one of only two regions where HIV is still on the rise.

“In light of the increased prevalence of HIV-Aids in the Mena region, preventive education is an integral and basic part of an effective and comprehensive combination HIV prevention programme,” said the authors.

“Hence, effective knowledge and education programmes should be mainstreamed across universities and schools in the UAE to prevent new HIV infections.”

Assessing Knowledge of, and Attitudes to, HIV-Aids among University Students in the UAE was published in several online medical journals this week.