Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding HIV among first time attenders of voluntary counseling and testing services in Italy

Table 1 Principal characteristics and HIV risk behavior among participants

	N	%
Gender
Male	165	67.6
Female	79	32.4
Age group (years)	33.6 ± 11.4 (17–69)*
<25	64	26.2
25-29	51	20.9
30-34	29	11.9
35-39	30	12.3
40-44	22	9
≥45	48	19.7
Marital status
Married	169	69.3
Single/separated/divorced/widowed	75	30.7
Number of other persons in the household
0	51	20.9
1	18	7.4
2	53	21.7
3	55	22.5
>3	67	27.5
Highest educational level
No formal education/Elementary school	13	5.3
Middle school	49	20.1
High school	128	52.5
Baccalaureate degree/Graduate degree	54	22.1
Employment status
Employed	139	57
Unemployed	105	43
Number of child
0	161	66
1	31	12.7
2	35	14.3
≥3	17	7
Perception of personal health status	7.2 ± 1.9 (1–10)*
At least one member in the household/close friends having history of HIV/AIDS
No	148	60.7
Yes	96	39.3
At least one familiar/friend who have accessed to VCT
No	183	75
Yes	61	25
Number of sexual partners in the last year
0	31	12.7
1	71	29.1
2	42	17.2
≥3	100	41
Condom use in the last year ^{+ a}
Never	77	36.5
Rarely	33	15.6
Sometime	36	17.1
Often	39	18.5
Always	26	12.3
Injecting drug use in the last year
No	209	85.7
Yes	35	14.3
Shared needles ⁺⁺
No	18	51.4
Yes	17	48.6

ISSN: 1471-2334