International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 20, Number 5 > Pp. 346-350

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Original research articles

A survey of Cambodian health-care providers' HIV knowledge, attitudes and intentions to take a sexual history

G Webber MD PhD ^* , N Edwards RN PhD  , I D Graham   , C Amaratunga PhD ^**, I Gaboury PhD(c) , V Keane MBBS MPH&TM , S Ros MD  and I McDowell PhD 

^* Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa; School of Nursing and; Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa; Canadian Institutes of Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ontario; ^** Justice Institute of British Columbia, Vancouver; University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; International Organization for Migration, Cambodia

Correspondence to: Dr G Webber Email: gwebb035{at}uottawa.ca

Cambodia has one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV in Asia and is scaling up HIV testing. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 358 health care providers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to assess readiness for voluntary testing and counselling for HIV. We measured HIV knowledge and attitudes, and predictors of intentions to take a sexual history using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Over 90% of health care providers correctly answered knowledge questions about HIV transmission, but their attitudes were often not positive towards people living with HIV. The Theory of Planned Behaviour constructs explained 56% of the variance in intention to take a sexual history: the control providers perceive they have over taking a sexual history was the strongest contributor (51%), while social pressure explained a further 3%. Attitudes about taking a sexual history did not contribute to intention. Interventions with Cambodian health care providers should focus on improving skills in sexual history-taking.

Key Words: HIV • prevention • Asia • sexual behaviour

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