Psychometric Properties of a New HIV/AIDS Knowledge Measure for Adults

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a new 29-item HIV/AIDS knowledge measure and to examine its psychometric properties for three samples of adults: non-HIV-positive heterosexual people, non-HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM), and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The authors collected data using an online questionnaire. A total of 9,349 Italian individuals agreed to participate in the study: 694 individuals (7.4%) were PLWHA, 5,232 (56.0%) were HIV negative, and the remaining 3,423 (36.6%) were MSM. Using two-parameter item response theory analysis, a bifactor model was found to be better fitting than a one-factor model or a 12 correlated first-order factor model. Differential item functioning showed evidence of measurement nonequivalence of the instrument for the three samples of adults. The reliability of HIV/AIDS knowledge scale among PLWHA was satisfactory. Criterion-related validity was only achieved among non-HIV-positive heterosexual people, non-HIV-positive MSM, as the HIV/AIDS knowledge scale was related with attitudes toward condom use, condom use with casual partners, unknown HIV status of partner, and HIV stigma. Among non-HIV-positive heterosexual people, the HIV/AIDS knowledge scale adds to the prediction of condom use above that of attitudes toward condom use scale. The HIV/AIDS knowledge scale is especially discriminating at low to medium levels of knowledge.

PEP and TasP Awareness among Italian MSM, PLWHA, and High-Risk Heterosexuals and Demographic, Behavioral, and Social Correlates

“…Participants were informed that their participation was voluntary with no incentive other than personal knowledge and contributing to general knowledge. Further details on participant recruitment have been previously published [ 28 , 29 ].…”

Factors Influencing Young Korean Men’s Knowledge and Stigmatizing Attitudes about HIV Infection

“…Of five items recommended by UNAIDS (2009) for HIV-related knowledge assessment, on the item for HIV transmission by mosquito bite, only 36.1% of answers were correct, lower than in the prior survey of the general population (47.7%) [6]. The lack of HIV-related knowledge is the major factor for negative attitudes toward PLHIV [23][24][25], and knowledge about the positive prognosis of HIV infection and treatment for prevention is a crucial element in strategies for destigmatizing HIV [16]. Moreover, the lack of knowledge about routes of HIV transmission can cause prejudice against PLHIV by triggering groundless fears of infection.…”

“…We used the HIV/AIDS knowledge scale developed by Prati et al (2016), translated into Korean with permission [16]. The original tool consists of 29 items designed to check the knowledge about routes of HIV transmission, prevention, treatment, and prognosis.…”