Md. Sweat et al., AIDS AWARENESS AMONG A COHORT OF YOUNG THAI MEN - EXPOSURE TO INFORMATION, LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE, AND PERCEPTION OF RISK, AIDS care, 7(5), 1995, pp. 573-591
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Social Sciences, Biomedical","Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath",Psychology
Structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among
834 young Thai men drafted into military service by random lottery in
northern Thailand. Level of AIDS risk, exposure to AIDS information,
level of knowledge about AIDS, and perception of risk for acquiring HI
V and AIDS were assessed at baseline and six months after induction in
to the Army in 1991. General fear of AIDS was high, yet personal perce
ption of risk for acquiring HIV was low, even for those at enhanced be
havioural risk of infection with HIV. Multivariate PATH analysis shows
that exposure to information about AIDS significantly reduced risk ta
king from baseline to follow-up, but only by first affecting personal
risk perception. Focus group discussions revealed that risk perception
for acquiring AIDS was low due to never knowing a person with AIDS, b
ecause prostitutes had health certificates for STD, and since many bel
ieved that AIDS could be cured or prevented with folk medicines. Impli
cations and recommendations for intervention programmes are discussed.