Discriminatory attitudes toward persons living with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica: a hierarchical analysis of university students.

Background: As the number of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) continues to increase in Jamaica, concerns of discriminatory attitudes become more important.

Objective: To examine the attitudes of university students in Jamaica toward PLWHAs, including sympathy and support for PLWHAs in the workplace and in school.

Methods: The authors conducted a survey of 1,252 students between June 2001 and February 2002 using a 193-item questionnaire that measured HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.

Results: Less than half of the students who were surveyed reported sympathetic attitudes toward either homosexual males or female prostitutes living with HIV/AIDS (41 percent and 44 percent, respectively), while a majority reported sympathetic attitudes toward heterosexual males and non-prostitute females living with the disease (67 percent and 81 percent). Most students reported that HIV-positive teachers should be allowed to teach, and that HIV-positive children should be allowed to attend school (80 percent and 62 percent). Only a minority (36 percent) reported that HIV-positive nurses should be allowed to work. Students who were more sympathetic toward PLWHAs were more tolerant of PLWHAs in the workplace and in school, while those with inaccurate knowledge concerning HIV transmission risk were less tolerant.

Conclusion: Levels of discriminatory attitudes are high in Jamaica and warrant the attention of both individual- and societal-level interventions.