Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward HIV/AIDS Among Health Faculty Students at a University in East Java, Indonesia: A Path Analysis Approach.

Abstract

IntroductionEast Java ranked second among Indonesian provinces for HIV/AIDS cases in June 2022. Barriers to prevention include limited knowledge, negative attitudes, and risky practices. This study assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward HIV/AIDS and examined their relationships with sexual activity status and preventive sexual behaviors among health faculty students at a University in East Java, Indonesia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2024 using a validated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics and KAP levels. Path analysis using a partial least square examined relationships among variables, with sexual activity status in the full sample and preventive sexual behaviors in the sexually active sub-sample as outcomes.ResultsA total of 441 students were included. Most participants demonstrated high HIV/AIDS knowledge (75.3%), positive attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) (61%), and safe practices (91.6%). In model 1, knowledge had a significant positive relationship with attitudes (β = 0.165; p = 0.000) and sexual activity status (β = 0.038; p = 0.048), while attitudes showed a significant negative relationship with sexual activity status (β = -0.065; p = 0.019). In model 2, knowledge had a significant positive relationship with attitudes (β = 0.615; p = 0.000). However, both knowledge and attitudes showed a non-significant relationship with preventive sexual behaviors.ConclusionsHealth faculty students exhibited high KAP levels. Knowledge consistently was related to attitudes across models, emphasizing the importance of strengthening information-based curricula to improve HIV/AIDS knowledge, including transmission, prevention, and treatment.