CORRELATION BETWEEN HISTORY OF CONTACT WITH PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AIDS (PWAS) AND TOLERANT ATTITUDES TOWARD HIV/AIDS AND PWAS IN RURAL THAILAND/

This study examines the hypothesis that people who have more contact w ith PWAs (people living with AIDS) are more tolerant than those who ha ve no contact with them. Four provinces with different incidence of AI DS in 4 different regions of Thailand were selected. Structured questi onnaire interviews were conducted with village people, asking about th eir history of contact with PWAs, and knowledge and attitudes toward H IV/AIDS and PWAs (n=434). An 'Attitude Score', which indicates an acce pting attitude (or tolerance) toward HIV/AIDS and PWAs, was developed using the results of the questionnaire on attitudes. Six factors: sex, education, age, province, knowledge, and history of contact with PWAs were positively correlated with the Attitude Score. After a multiple regression analysis, contact with PWAs was significantly associated wi th Attitude Score. This study is one of the first analytical studies c onducted in a non-Western country to show that people's tolerant attit udes towards HIV/AIDS and PWAs are positively related to their history of contact with HIV/AIDS and PWAs. This finding should have important implications for future educational programmes and preventative inter vention.