Viola, F.; Formenti, B.; Arsuffi, S.; Polesini, I.; Focà, E.; Castelli, F.; Quiros-Roldan, E. Knowledge and Attitudes towards HIV and HCV among the Population Attending the Fast-Track Cities Mobile Unit in Brescia, Italy. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 6878.
Viola, F.; Formenti, B.; Arsuffi, S.; Polesini, I.; Focà, E.; Castelli, F.; Quiros-Roldan, E. Knowledge and Attitudes towards HIV and HCV among the Population Attending the Fast-Track Cities Mobile Unit in Brescia, Italy. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 6878.
Viola, F.; Formenti, B.; Arsuffi, S.; Polesini, I.; Focà, E.; Castelli, F.; Quiros-Roldan, E. Knowledge and Attitudes towards HIV and HCV among the Population Attending the Fast-Track Cities Mobile Unit in Brescia, Italy. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20, 6878.
Viola, F.; Formenti, B.; Arsuffi, S.; Polesini, I.; Focà, E.; Castelli, F.; Quiros-Roldan, E. Knowledge and Attitudes towards HIV and HCV among the Population Attending the Fast-Track Cities Mobile Unit in Brescia, Italy. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 6878.
Abstract
The Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department of University of Brescia organized free rapid screening tests for HIV and HCV as part of the Fast Track City commitment. A cross-sectional study was conducted, consisting of an anonymous, multiple-choice questionnaire that was administered to individuals who underwent the screening or consultation. The study aimed to compare knowledge and attitudes towards HIV and HCV between age groups (18-40 vs. >40) and sexual orientations (heterosexual vs. LGBTQ+). Overall, 333 questionnaires were completed. Individuals over the age of 40 and those who identified as heterosexual had the lowest level of knowledge about HIV transmission (7.9% and 30% respectively), undetectable=untransmittable (19.7% and 39.4% respectively) and PrEP (9.2% and 18.2% respectively). They were also less willing to cohabit with people with HIV (PLHIV). Only 9.6% of the population demonstrated high levels of knowledge for both HIV and HCV. People over the age of 40 had the largest gaps in knowledge and would benefit the most from educational and prevention interventions.
Keywords
HIV; HCV; Health Literacy; HIV Knowledge; HCV Knowledge; Viral Infections
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Life Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
