Knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS among male prisoners in Kuwait

Background: Prisoners are considered as one of the high-risk populations for the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Targeting this group is one of the strategies to reduce the incidence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the community.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among male inmates in Kuwait’s prison by administering three sets of questionnaires to assess the level of their knowledge and awareness about the mode of transmission of HIV/AIDS, their risky personal behavior that may lead to HIV infection, and the presence of any negative attitudes and stigmatization towards HIV infected individuals.
Results: The study included 123 male inmates, with a mean ± SD age of 30.9 ± 8.4 years. Most participants had a good general knowledge about the mode of transmission of HIV/AIDS including sharing contaminated syringes, but with misconception regarding handshaking and kissing. On the other hand, risky personal behaviors such as having unprotected sex and increased number of extramarital relationships (66%), and the avoidance of the regular use of condoms (75%) was high.  The younger age group (< 35 years) had more extramarital relationships than those > 35 years (71.4% Vs. 46.4%; p=0.016). There was a perceived attitude of stigmatization among inmates towards people living with HIV.
Conclusions: This vulnerable group of prisoners, especially young adults need educational programs to improve knowledge about transmission of HIV, and to correct and change their risky personal behaviors to protect them and the community against HIV transmission