AIDS knowledge and attitudes. Provisional data from the National Health Interview Survey: United States, August 1987.

Abstract

Provisional findings are presented from the US National Health Interview Survey on AIDS. A questionaire was designed to provide baseline estimates of public knowledge and attitudes about AIDS transmission and prevention of AIDS virus infection and changes in knowledge and attitudes over time. It includes questions on self-assessment of knowledge about AIDS; sources of information about AIDS; knowledge about AIDS and AIDS-related risk factors modes of transmission and blood tests for the AIDS virus; plans to take such a test; recent experience with blood donation; self-assessment of chances of getting AIDS; personal knowledge of people with AIDS or the AIDS virus; and finally the willingness of respondents to take part in a proposed national seroprevalence study. Results indicated that most Americans are aware of the ways in which the AIDS virus is most likely to be transmitted. More than 9/10 of adults said that it is very likely that a person will get AIDS from having sex with a person who has AIDS (92%) or by sharing needles for drug use with someone who has AIDS (91%). However misinformation about modes of transmission is very high. For example donating blood is considered a likely mode of transmission by 25% working near someone with AIDS by 21% sharing eating utensils with someone who has AIDS by 47% using public toilets by 31% and insect bites by 38%. Just over 1/3 of adults with children between 10 and 17 report that their children have received instruction about AIDS in school.