AIDS related knowledge, attitudes, and professional preparation among social work students in India.

Three-hundred and eighty-five social work students enrolled in 11 colleges in India were surveyed. Overall, the students demonstrated a moderate degree of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. However, they were generally unconcerned about the contagion. Three-fourths admitted to their lack of competence to deal with HIV+ patients. Regression analyses identified the positive effect of AIDS knowledge in combination with variables 'actual contact with AIDS patients' and 'sense of competence' on attitude toward PHWA. The paper discusses a curriculum strategy aimed at gender sensitive content and recommends behavior change as the best approach to reverse the tide of the contagion.