The importance of aids-related knowledge for mid-life and older women

Although the AIDS epidemic has had a major impact on the lives of women thr oughout the world, there is little knowledge regarding risk factors, transm ission factors, prevention methods, and results of prevention efforts for o lder women, even though almost 10% of all AIDS cases in the United States a re among those 50 years and older. This article reports results on AIDS kno wledge and risks from the Massachusetts Women's Health Study, a longitudina l community-based study of middle-aged women. AIDS-related questions were a sked of this sample at their last study interview, which occurred in 1995 w hen the women were aged 58-67. Results indicate that this sample of older, predominantly Caucasian women are quite knowledgeable about transmission fa ctors but are less knowledgeable about early interventions and their own ri sk status. Many are also likely to know someone with I-ITV or AIDS. Even th ough these women are generally at low risk, they may be at higher risk than they perceive. They may also be significant disseminators of knowledge to friends and relatives who may be at risk, and thus could represent an impor tant target group for AIDS educational programs.