Background and purpose: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) include blood-borne viruses that have infected millions of people worldwide. During haircut or shaving, barbers may accidentally expose their clients’ blood, transmit their own infection to them, or transmit the infection from one client to another. Hence, the knowledge of barbers toward topics related to AIDS is of great importance. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the knowledge and performance of hairdressers about HIV/AIDS based on the theory of planned behavior.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 275 hairdressers were systematically and randomly selected from five points in Sari. The data were obtained through self-design questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 23.
Results: Of the total 275 participants, 236 (85.8%) were female and 39 (14.2%) men. Among participants, 14.2% were less than 25 years of age, and 10.9% of participants were more than 44 years old. According to the correlation results, there was a statistically significant relationship between the intention with knowledge, attitude, and performance score of the hairdressers. As well, a significant correlation was observed between subjective norm with knowledge, attitude, performance, and perceived behavioral control with four variables.
Conclusion: The results showed that the level of hairdressers' knowledge, attitude, and performance about preventive behavior of AIDS in the workplace was optimal. Behavioral intention, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of hairdressers can be considered effective factors in awareness, attitude, and performance. In spite of all that, educational programs were found to be necessary for raising hairdressers' awareness, and their performance was emphasized as one of the strata of society that deals with human health.