Attitudes of school environment towards integration of HIV-positive pupils into regular classes and knowledge about HIV/AIDS: cross-sectional study.

Objective: To estimate the attitudes of teachers, parents, and pupils in primary schools towards the integration of HIV-positive pupils into regular schools, and their knowledge about HIV/AIDS.

Methods: Teachers (n=64), seventh and eight grade pupils (n=108), and their parents (n=124) from a big city and a small town in Croatia were examined by two specially designed instruments which measured their attitudes towards the integration of pupils with HIV/AIDS and knowledge about HIV/AIDS.

Results: All three populations showed positive attitudes towards the integration of children with HIV/AIDS into regular schools. A group of parents had lower attitude score (mean-/+standard deviation, 3.1-/+0.6) compared with teachers or pupils (3.5-/+0.4 and 3.4-/+0.4 respectively, P<0.001, ANOVA, and post hoc Tukey test). Knowledge about HIV/AIDS was high in all three groups. Pupils scored lower (8.2-/+4.1 out of maximum 15) than their teachers or parents (11.2-/+3.8 and 10.3-/+3.5 respectively, P<0.001). In all three subsamples, groups with higher level of education had more positive attitudes towards the integration of children with HIV/AIDS into regular schools as well as higher knowledge scores. No significant correlation was found between participants' attitudes and knowledge.

Conclusions: School environment - teachers, pupils, parents - had generally positive attitudes towards the integration of HIV positive pupils and high level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Generally, parents showed less favorable attitudes than teachers and pupils and this may be a possible obstacle to the integration of HIV positive students into regular schools. There is obviously a need for a coordinated public intervention aimed at informing the public about HIV/AIDS.