Comparison of HIV-Related Knowledge Between POL and Non-POL Providers in the Adapted White-Coat and Warm-Heart Intervention Project in a Chinese Tertiary Hospital

Background: The adapted white-coat and warm-heart intervention (AWWI) project, which includes the popular opinion leader (POL) intervention program, has been shown to control and prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) effectively. However, there is a lack of evaluation of POL providers, who are responsible for disseminating training knowledge. Therefore, this study investigated the changes in the knowledge of HIV/AIDS, prejudicial attitude, and avoidance behavior scores over time in POL and non-POL providers. Methods: The study was conducted from March 2019 to February 2020 with nurses from the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Demographic data, including age, sex, years of working, education level, professional role, department, and previous contact with HIV-infected individuals, were recorded at baseline. The knowledge of HIV/AIDS, prejudicial attitude, and avoidance behavior scores were self-reported by the participants at baseline, 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month were collected. Results: Among 401 participants, 62 received training and were considered POL providers. There were no significant differences in age, sex, years of working, education level, professional role, department, and previous contact with HIV-infected individuals between POL and non-POL providers (P> 0.05). The knowledge of HIV/AIDS scores (9.6 ± 1.7, 10.1 ± 1.6 and 10.1 ± 1.7; 9.0 ± 1.6, 9.7 ± 1.7, 10.2 ± 1.7 and 10.1 ± 1.7) were increased, while the prejudicial attitude scores (18.6 ± 5.8, 17.5 ± 6.7 and 17.4 ± 6.0; 19.5 ± 5.6, 17.2 ± 6.0 and 18.3 ± 5.5) and avoidance behavior scores (16.8 ± 5.4, 15.9 ± 6.1 and 16.4 ± 5.6; 18.1 ± 4.7, 16.3 ± 5.2 and 16.9 ± 5.1) were decreased at 1-months, 3-months, and 6-months in both POL providers and non-POL providers. The knowledge of HIV/AIDS, prejudicial attitude, and avoidance behavior scores did not differ significantly between POL and non-POL providers at any time (P> 0.05). Conclusion: Both POL and non-POL providers showed similar improvements in HIV-related knowledge. This implies that the POL intervention programs in the AWWI project is an effective way to reduce stigma related to HIV. Keywords: HIV, POL, adapted white-coat and warm-heart intervention, nurses