Interventional Study on Reducing Stigma and Improving HIV/AIDS Awareness on Transmission among Housekeeping Workers in a Tertiary Care Hospital with Health Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37506/e233v819Keywords:
Marital status, Perception, HIV and AIDS prevention, hospital housekeeping workers, hiv stigma, HIV stigma in hospital, health education for destigamtisation, needle stick injuries in housekeeping staff, health education for hospital house keeping workersAbstract
Background :
Hospital housekeeping workers (HHW), also known as hospital janitorial staff, are individuals responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of hospital facilities. This study focuses on the perceptions of HIV/AIDS among HHWs and their role in controlling its spread. The aims included assessing their knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission, reducing stigma, and evaluating the impact of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) on their awareness and perception.
Methods :
Conducted at a Chennai tertiary care hospital from December 2022 to January 2023, this interventional study involved 25 HHWs. The research utilised a structured questionnaire for socio-demographic details and HIV/AIDS-related questions, implementing pre- and post-tests after health education. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics v20.0. The chi-square test was used to arrive at a p-value to test the significance between pre- and post-intervention test results. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Conclusion :
Post-intervention, the knowledge that using condoms reduces transmission very significantly increased to 100% (p-value=<0.0000001), awareness that HIV/AIDS doesn't transmit through touch very significantly improved to 88% (p-value=<0.0000001), belief in hope for affected individuals rose very significantly to 96% (p-value=<0.0000001) and understanding that mosquito bites don’t cause transmission very significantly increased to 88% (p-value=<0.0000001).
These findings emphasis the positive impact of health-education on HHWs. Empowering HHWs with the necessary knowledge to address fear-based stigma and boosting awareness is pivotal. Conducting effective and periodic awareness programs significantly enhances HHWs' understanding of HIV/AIDS, and is a crucial step in eliminating occupational transmissions and stigma.
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