Table 3 Percentages of correct responses to knowledge items by medical school year
Knowledge items | First year % | Second year % | Third year % | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Routes of transmission | ||||
Sexual contact (n = 915) | 100 | 100 | 100 | – |
Contaminated needles & syringes (n = 914) | 98.9 | 98.7 | 99.6 | 0.397 |
Blood transfusion (n = 911) | 94.6 | 91.6 | 97 | 0.54 |
From mother to child during pregnancy & labour (n = 905) | 91 | 91.5 | 94 | 0.577 |
Tattoos and piercings (n = 906) | 80.4 | 82 | 82.8 | 0.781 |
From mother to child during breastfeeding (n = 908) | 36.3 | 33.8 | 40.6 | 0.498 |
Routes of non-transmission | ||||
Hand shaking (n = 908) | 99.2 | 99.4 | 99.6 | 0.5 |
Hugging (n = 906) | 99.2 | 99 | 99.1 | 0.978 |
Sharing utensils with someone who has HIV/AIDS (n = 907) | 87.7 | 90.9 | 91 | 0.219 |
Using the same toilet as someone who has HIV/AIDS (n = 908) | 86.9 | 89.6 | 91 | 0.489 |
Saliva from someone who has HIV/AIDS (n = 892) | 73.6 | 74.8 | 78.3 | 0.681 |
Mosquito bites (n = 904) | 69.8 | 72.6 | 77.7 | <0.001 |
Basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS treatment | ||||
HIV treatment prolongs the life expectancy of HIV-positive patients (n = 908) | 89.4 | 94.1 | 99.1 | <0.001 |
HIV treatment decreases the chances of infection after unprotected sexual intercourse (n = 904) | 50 | 57.7 | 70.4 | <0.001 |
HIV treatment decreases the chances of infection after a prick from an infected needle (n = 903) | 44.3 | 53.4 | 68.5 | <0.001 |
HIV transmission from mother to child during pregnancy & labour can be prevented (n = 907) | 38.6 | 46.4 | 57.9 | <0.001 |