An analysis of HIV/AIDS related knowledge and associated factors among permanent residents in Guangdong by means of classification tree

Objective To analyze the HIV/AIDS related knowledge and investigate the associated factors among Guangdong residents in order to provide scientific reference for making strategy and measures of HIV/AIDS control.Methods Multiple stage random sampling was used to enroll residents who lived in Guangdong for more than six months into the cross-sectional study.Anonymous face-to-face interview was conducted about HIV/AIDS knowledge by trained investigators with questionnaires.Results The mean age of the 8 616 residents was 44.87 years,with males accounting for 48.6%,and females accounting for 51.3%.The overall awareness on AIDS was 46.5%(4 008/8 616),of which,51.3%(3 233/6 301) were the urban residents and 33.4%(772/2 310) were the rural people.76.7% of the participants had heard of HIV/AIDS and the main source was TV.The classification tree model showed that among the residents,education level,age and living in county/district were the associated factors.Conclusions The awareness rate of HIV/AIDS knowledge among Guangdong residents was still low.Publicity and health education should be strengthened especially among residents with low education level,the population in the countryside and older citizens.