About Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Research Articles

Evaluation of effects of combination intervention model to men who have sex with men

This study aimed to explore and evaluate the effects of combination intervention model conducted by Center for Disease Control and Prevention and activity place to men who have sex with men (MSM). To implement one-year combination intervention in 4 MSM venues during May, 2009 and April, 2010. Meanwhile, 3 similar MSM venues were chosen as control. MSM places introduced CDC to consumption crowds. Experts and volunteers sent by CDC undertook health education programme on site and condom, lubricant, pamphlet, consultation, test were provided at the same time. The intervention measures applied to control only included providing pamphlet, condom, lubricant by volunteers. Investigations were conducted among subjects of combination intervention group and control group before (111, 120 subjects) and after (105, 98 subjects) the intervention with questions related to knowledge and behavior of AIDS prevention. After one-year intervention, among MSM with combination intervention, the awareness rate of knowledge level about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) increased from 73.0% (81/111) to 91.7% (110/120), proportion of condom-use with male at last anal intercourse increased from 73.0% (81/111) to 85.0% (102/120), ratio of never-use condom with male decreased from 10.8% (11/102) to 1.7% (2/112), percentage of acquiring AIDS-related service and intervention improved significantly, acquiring condom (lubricant) increased from 70.3% (78/111) to 85.0% (102/120), acquiring peer education increased from 10.8% (12/111) to 24.2% (29/120), the proportion of acquiring counseling and testing of HIV increased from 69.4% (77/111) to 90.8% (109/120) (all P values < 0.05). The above index show no statistic difference before and after the intervention (all P values > 0.05) in control MSM venues. Combination intervention model was an effective intervention model contributing to an increase in knowledge of AIDS prevention and decreasing high risk behavior in MSM population.

Predictors of rural critical care nurses' willingness to care for people with AIDS.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between rural critical care nurses' attitudes about acquired immunedeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and people with AIDS (PWAs), and their willingness to provide care to AIDS patients. Sixty-one critical care nurses in nine rural counties in the northeastern USA completed a mailed questionnaire as part of a larger study of 957 rural nurses. A bivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a relationship between willingness to provide care and positive attitudes about homosexuality, nursing care concerns, and professional-societal concerns. However, a multivariate logistic regression indicated that the most significant factors influencing rural critical care nurses' willingness to care were their feelings of not being prepared to care for people with AIDS, and their anxiety and fears about contracting the disease from their patients. These findings add insight into the care of critically ill AIDS patients and support the need for continuing educational efforts in rural areas of the USA to address critical care nurses' concerns.

The social responsibility of science and the public understanding of science

The central question facing humankind is 'What kind of society are we to have?' We argue that in order to begin to answer this question, citizens need to recognize that one of the driving forces determining our society is that science is a human social activity like any other. This flies in the face of much of the rhetoric and ideology about science - the stories and myths of formal and informal education. We wish to encourage both a socially responsible science and a public mindful of its strengths and weaknesses. We explore two case studies to illustrate our concerns. These are the construction of knowledge about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and the social construction of safety standards for exposure to low-level ionizing radiation. These two health-related controversial scientific issues illustrate the problematic nature of much of science and the implications for the public at large.

What children know about AIDS

Children know a great deal about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and how it is transmitted, but still retain many misconceptions, according to a study reported in the Spring Health Education Quarterly . Twenty-seven groups of children in grades three to six were asked questions about the cause, transmission, consequences and prevention of AIDS. Children in all four grade levels knew AIDS was transmitted through sexual contact, drug exposure and in utero, but many believed erroneously in additional transmission methods.

Children's knowledge and beliefs about AIDS: qualitative data from focus group interviews.

Focus groups were used as a qualitative technique to elicit knowledge and attitudes of children in Grades 3 to 6 about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Twenty-seven small groups of children responded to open-ended questions about general AIDS knowledge; transmission, causation, consequences, and prevention of AIDS; emotional response to AIDS; and susceptibility. Results indicate that children have a high level of awareness about AIDS and correct knowledge about the modes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. They understand that AIDS is a serious illness that cannot be cured and know the main ways of preventing HIV infection. Participants had more difficulty explaining causation and greatly overestimated the number of people their age and in high school that might be infected. They also had difficulty applying accurate knowledge to the hypothetical situation of encountering a child with AIDS in school. Misconceptions about AIDS exist at all grade levels, but appear more prevalent in lower grades, whereas increased complexity seems to characterize responses of older children. Recommendations for health educators are made.

Rural women's knowledge of and attitudes toward acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

We surveyed the knowledge of and attitudes about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) of 236 women living in a rural community. The design of the study was descriptive, using the AIDS Knowledge and Belief Survey. There was a significant positive correlation between attitude scores and knowledge scores. Women who had read about AIDS had significantly higher knowledge scores than women who had not read about AIDS, but there were no significant differences between the attitude scores of women who had and had not read about AIDS.

THE MULTIPLE JEOPARDY OF RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER FOR AIDS RISK AMONG WOMEN

This article focuses on the ways that sexual risk behaviors are related to race, class, and gender among low-income, culturally diverse women in South Florida. Data concerning sexual risk (frequency of condom use) and gender (decision making with regard to condom use and gender attitudes) are presented in terms of race and class variations. Results indicate that, in general, these women have a high degree of knowledge about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), a quite contemporary awareness of women's gendered subordination, and a lack of trust in heterosexual relationships. Attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge, however, are not translated into sexual behaviors with men partners that would reduce their vulnerability to infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The data indicate that race is a major factor that places women into an underclass position. Consequently, without socioeconomic resources, gendered behaviors have a direct influence on sexual risk. Multivariate analyses indicate that those women who are sex workers are significantly more likely to negotiate safe sex with clients than with main partners. The research not only challenges mainstream thinking about race, class, and gender but also provides overdue information on the vulnerability of women to HIV infection.

The polls: poll trends. AIDS--an update.

This summary of public opinion about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) updates our earlier review (Singer, Rogers, and Corcoran 1987). Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in public information about AIDS. The Surgeon General's Report on AIDS was released in 1986, and figures compiled by the Centers for Disease Control indicate that media coverage of the disease surged in 1987, with a total of 11,852 stories, up sharply from approximately 5,000 stories each in 1986 and 1985. In early 1988, the federal government mounted a nationwide campaign to inform the public about AIDS, in particular about ways to prevent its spread. One consequence of this information explosion seems to have been a large increase in the number of people who feel they know a lot about the disease; the percentage giving this response more than doubled between 1987 and 1991. The number of media stories on AIDS in 1988, 1989, and 19907,584, 7,091, and 8,364, respectively-did not match the nearly 12,000 in 1987. But 1991 figures indicate the highest media interest yet13,209 stories. Nearly half (6,038) appeared in the last quarter of the year, which is when Magic Johnson, the superstar Los Angeles Lakers basketball player, announced that he was HIV positive. The total for the first two quarters of 1992 remained high: 7,981 stories, evidence that the media continue to find AIDS highly newsworthy. For this review, we assembled national surveys from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research that had asked one or more questions about AIDS. Between January 1987 and July 1992, our cutoff date, we identified 116 such surveys: 27 in 1987, 13 in 1988, 9 in 1989, 24 in

Mosquitoes, Doorknobs, and Sneezing, Relationships Between Homophobia and AIDS Mythology Among College Students

Previous research indicated that homophobia may interfere with making realistic risk assessments regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and internalizing accurate information about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in general. We investigated relationships among homophobia, risk assessments, and knowledge about AIDS in the college population. Data were collected as part of a larger probability sample survey. Results support the hypothesis that homophobia is positively related to the degree of risk associated with pseudorisk behaviors in the context of HIV infection. Furthermore, results indicate that homophobia is also related to several real risk factors. In general, the greater a student's homophobia, the less likely he or she was to make realistic risk assessments. Results also show that the degree of homophobia of respondents varied on the basis of specific knowledge about AIDS and the interaction of specific knowledge with gender. Discussion focuses on homophobia as a fuel...

Automated Evaluation of AIDS Messages with High‐Risk, Low‐Literacy Audiences

Abstract A series of televised public service announcements (PSAs) about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was evaluated with 100 black participants attending a Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. Since the literacy level of the participants was suspected to be low, questions were administered orally and an electronic data collection technique was used which permitted the participants to push buttons, as opposed to speaking or writing responses. In this way, data were collected regarding: (i) the participants’ demographics; (ii) their self‐perceived AIDS knowledge and awareness; and (iii) their second‐by‐second continuous responses to the video presentation. Participants who perceived themselves to be at high risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection gave more positive continuous responses to the PSA sequence than did self‐perceived low‐risk participants. Men gave more approving responses than women. The results were considered in relation to previous findings concerning the interacting effects of PSA design and perceived risk. Debriefing sessions indicated that the automated approach to data collection is particularly useful informative evaluation studies requiring rapid data collection from audiences drawn from diverse educational backgrounds.

SOME STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS ABOUT AIDS: AN IN FORMAL LOOK

The results of a convenience sampling of 558 undergraduate business students suggests that, while there is widespread knowledge of the existence of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the fact that one having the disease need not necessarily feel sick and look bad, there appears to be comparatively little awareness of the availability of drug therapies and the relative safety of the practice of donating blood.

Do Videotapes Improve Knowledge and Attitudes about AIDS?

Three popular videotapes were assessed for their effectiveness in improving knowledge and attitudes about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). One hundred forty-four university students completed knowledge and attitude questionnaires and then watched either an AIDS or a control tape. Half the students completed posttest questionnaires immediately after seeing the tape, and half were tested 1 month later. Students who viewed an AIDS tape showed increased knowledge at immediate and 1-month posttesting (p less than .01); the amount of increase declined over the month, however (p = .012). Students who saw two of the AIDS tapes showed an increase in compassion toward people with AIDS when tested immediately after the tape (p less than .01); but 1 month later, only those students who had viewed a third AIDS tape showed an increase in compassion (p less than .01). The AIDS tapes failed to bring about improvements in attitudes toward preventive behavior. The authors concluded that tapes about AIDS can lead to modest changes in knowledge and perhaps in attitudes; more significant changes, however, probably depend on multimedia interventions that include guided discussions as well as audiovisual and other components.

Social Workers' Knowledge about AIDS: A National Survey

A study was conducted to assess social workers' knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 500 members of the National Association of Social Workers in July 1988. Three hundred seventy-nine (75.8 percent) members responded, and limited demographic comparisons indicated that the sample was representative of the association's membership. Results showed that social workers have much to learn about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); less than half the questions were answered correctly. Respondents had the most information about transmission of the virus and the least information about the impact of the epidemic on specific populations. Of particular concern was the small number of respondents who reported that they had professional reasons for being knowledgeable about AIDS, given the pervasive nature of the AIDS epidemic and every social worker's professional responsibility to be knowledgeable about HIV infection.

Talk among Sexual Partners about AIDS

This study identified factors that differentiate among four groups relative to talking about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) with a sexual partner: safe-sex talkers, general AIDS talkers, nontalkers, and want-to-be talkers. Relational issues rather than health issues dominated differences among groups. Faced with risking one's long-term health versus risking one's immediate interpersonal relationship, many who opted not to talk with their sexual partners about AIDS gave the relationship preeminence. More troublesome is the very absence of differences between safe-sex talkers and general AIDS talkers. The two groups failed to differ in most attitudes about condom use and AIDS talk and in their sexual and preventive behavior. The discussion explores functions of talking about AIDS and the implications of the dominance of relational functions of talking about AIDS with a sexual partner over health-promotion functions. One interpretation suggests that talking about AIDS may function to enhance rather than diminish risk.

Learning about AIDS and HIV Transmission in College-Age Students

Byrne's (1977) model of emotional reactions to sexual stimuli and Herek's (1988) conceptualization of attitudes toward gay men and lesbians provided the framework for studying the effects of such attitudes on adolescent learning about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. A pretest-posttest control-group design was used to test several hypotheses concerning the effectiveness of an educational presentation and the influence of extreme attitudes toward gay men and lesbians on learning and retention of information. Findings indicated that the educational presentation produced significant increases in knowledge about AIDS and HIV transmission. Further analyses indicated there was very little forgetting of this information. Consistent with our hypotheses, students with extreme positive attitudes toward gay men and lesbians learned more about AIDS than those with extreme negative attitudes. Practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

In the Forefront of Our Minds: AIDS and Other Responses to Category Labels

Researchers have called for public education concerning information about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Public education is seen as more effective when the subject of the education is...

STD Patients' Knowledge About AIDS and Attitudes Toward Condom Use

Patients (N = 71) from a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic in an urban setting were surveyed to determine their knowledge about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and attitudes toward condom use. Overall knowledge scores were high with a mean score of 22 on the 28-item true-false questionnaire. No statistical significance was found between AIDS-knowledge scores and condom-use behavior. The majority of subjects or their partners had STD symptoms and multiple partners within a 6-month period. Thirty percent of the respondents reported using condoms at least 25% of the time. In response to open-ended statements about condoms, 10 beliefs were mentioned most frequently. The majority of subjects reported protection against sexually transmitted disease and preventing pregnancy as the most important reasons for condom use. "Avoids getting AIDS" only ranked as the eighth most salient belief and few subjects with multiple partners in the previous 6-month period even cited this belief. Other significant beliefs about condom use included decreased feeling, worry about breakage, decreased pleasure for partner, uncomfortable, feeling safe, inconvenient, and not romantic. The most significant referent (normative belief) influencing condom-use decision making was "mother" in younger subjects and "sexual partner" for older subjects. The sexual partner had unfavorable attitudes toward condom use. These results indicate the need to incorporate attitudes and normative beliefs to change condom-use behavior.

Changing dentists’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors relating to AIDS: a controlled educational intervention

The efficacy of an educational intervention designed to improve dentists' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was tested. The intervention had three components: computerized feedback comparing participants' own knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with those of fellow participants and with an ideal; periodic bulletins; and telephone conference calls with experts. The group receiving the educational package had better scores than a control group on outcomes of willingness to treat persons with AIDS; identification of human immunodeficiency virus lesions; knowledge of AIDS; and completeness of both intraoral and extraoral examinations. It was concluded that intervention is one approach to increasing dentists' positive response to the AIDS epidemic.

The AIDS Dilemma: Recent Court Decisions Place a Burden of Persuasion on Public Schools

School officials increasingly are becoming concerned about Ac quired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Principals are reminded that public safety concerns are likely to be subject to judicial scrutiny. Here's a review of recent court decisions that will affect schools.

AIDS--a health education challenge.

The current state of knowledge about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is outlined, and current health education advice summarised. Arguments for an intensive, integrated health education campaign to allay fear and promote preventive action are presented.