Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare AIDS knowledge and attitudes of baccalaureate nursing students living in a state with a high prevalence of AIDS and those who resided in a state with a low prevalence of AIDS. Students from the high-prevalence state had significantly higher AIDS knowledge scores than did students from the low-prevalence state. However, overall, respondents from the low-prevalence state viewed the person living with AIDS with more accepting attitudes than did the respondents from the high-prevalence state. Students in the high-prevalence state interacted with persons living with AIDS (PLWA) primarily through professional contact. In contrast, students in the low-prevalence state identified both personal and professional contact with PLWA as their most significant interactions. Personal experience of nursing students appears to be a key to decreasing stigmatization of PLWA.
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