A questionnaire designed to measure knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS was administered prior to a three-hour training program, as a pretest, and immediately following the training, as a post-test. Three to four months after the training, the same questionnaire was mailed to participants as a follow-up post-test. A t-test analysis showed few statistically significant differences between the results of the pre-test and post-tests. In general, participants in the training programs had good knowledge of HIV/AIDS and held few judgmental attitudes prior to the education session; however, myths about the virus and its transmission still exist. Future AIDS training programs should emphasize these myths and provide knowledge and skills to discriminate between levels of risk in various situations. Other aspects of training should include self-esteem, empowerment, and attitudes toward behavior change in addition to reinforcing factual information and debunking myths.
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