Predictors of attitudes to persons with AIDS among young adults in India

At the turn of the century, India will have about 5 million HIV-infected ca ses, more than anywhere else in the world. The AIDS pandemic presents a cha llenge for educators, mass media communicators and social workers. The abse nce of pharmacological, immunological and medical interventions puts the sp otlight on social and behavioural intervention strategies such as, health c ommunication campaigns. An area of research that has been neglected is the attitudes of the general population toward HIV\AIDS infected persons. Some scholars have posited that a significant obstacle to effectively communicat e information about AIDS is negative attitudes toward persons with AIDS. Th e primary objective or the present study was to locate predictors of attitu de to persons with AIDS among young adults in India. The data analysis prov ided us with a statistically useful multiple regression model where higher scores on knowledge of. AIDS transmission through external contact, more po sitive attitude toward AIDS and safe sex, and higher parental income respec tively had a direct (positive) influence on persons with AIDS. This has imp ortant implications for media-based intervention strategies.