Ratings of contracting infectious diseases and of the risk of sexual HIV transmission by health care students from Germany, Lithuania, and Namibia

In Germany, Lithuania, and Namibia different types of the HIV epidemic are present. HIV testing of health care students and their ratings of the risk of sexually acquired HIV infections and factors influencing the risk of contracting infectious diseases were analyzed. 182 German medical and dental students, 176 Lithuanian medical students, and 135 Namibian student nurses participated by completing anonymous questionnaires. The Namibian student nurses rated sexual HIV transmission risks higher than the Lithuanian and German medical students did. In general, the Lithuanian medical students rated risks of HIV transmission lowest, compared to the students in the other two samples. Risk behavior and environmental factors were most emphasized by the three student samples as having an influence on the risk of contracting infectious diseases. Thus, national prevalence of HIV influences ratings of sexual HIV transmission risks, while rating of factors influencing the risk of contracting infectious diseases are similar.