National study of knowledge of AIDS, testing patterns, and self-assessed risk among health care workers

We conducted a study to assess the level of AIDS knowledge, testing behavior patterns, and self-assessed risk of contracting AIDS for a representative sample of health care workers in the United States. The study was based on data collected in the 1989 AIDS Knowledge and Attitudes Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey. Health care workers in four occupational groups were compared with other members of the labor force and with one another. The survey included 1,620 respondents identified as health care workers and 25,217 respondents with occupations other than in health care. Health care workers were more knowledgeable about AIDS than were other workers; approximately 55% and 25%, respectively, reported knowing a lot about AIDS. They were also more likely to have been tested (34%) than other workers (24%) and to have done so voluntarily (28% versus 14%). Health care workers also believed they had higher risk of contracting AIDS (8% versus 3%), although they were about equally likely to report being in one of the six high-risk groups. Among health care workers, those in the health diagnosing occupations were the most knowledgeable about AIDS (74% reported knowing a lot) and were the most likely to have been tested (41% were tested at least once). Health service workers were the least knowledgeable; only 38% reported knowing a lot about AIDS and only 26% reported being tested.