RURAL SCHOOL NURSES ATTITUDES ABOUT AIDS AND HOMOSEXUALITY

The AIDS epidemic has spread to rural areas of the United States. Cons ervative rural communities are facing the challenge of having children with HIV entering school. School nurses, as the only health care prov iders in the schools, are in a strong position to facilitate the educa tion of children with HN and to provide AIDS education to students, fa culty, and parents. School nurses' knowledge and attitudes about AIDS and people with AIDS influence their effectiveness in prevention activ ities and care of HIV-infected children. This study examined the relat ionship between specific demographic, practice, and cultural variables and rural school nurses' attitudes about AIDS and homosexuality. Sixt y-nine school nurses responded to a mailed questionnaire as part of a larger study of rural nurses. Results indicate attitudes about homosex uality were related to nurses' homosexual knowledge and religious beli efs while attitudes about AIDS were related to nurses' willingness to care for people with AIDS and feeling prepared to do so.