Adolescents and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome): A Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs About AIDS in San Francisco

• NCJ Number: 109077
• Journal: American Journal of Public Health Volume: 76 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1986) Pages: 1443-1446
• Author(s): R J DiClemente; J Zorn; L Temoshok
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Free online PDF and HTML access to the American Journal of Public Health is provided by the publisher 24 months after individual issues are released.

Annotation

A questionnaire was administered to 1,326 San Francisco adolescents to assess their attitudes toward and knowledge of the cause, transmission, and treatment of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the need for AIDS education.

Abstract

Findings suggest that high school students possessed some knowledge of AIDS, but that this knowledge was uneven. While 92 percent knew sexual intercourse to be a mode of transmission, only 60 percent knew that using condoms could lower the risk of transmission. Only 68 percent knew that AIDS could not be transmitted through casual contact, and only 41 percent correctly reported that kissing was not a route of transmission. In the area of attitudes, 78.7 percent reported being afraid of getting AIDS, 50.6 percent would rather contract any other disease than AIDS, and 87.6 percent felt it was important for students to receive AIDS education in the school curriculum. Results suggest that there is a need for the development and implementation of a health education curriculum on AIDS for this population. 2 tables and 9 references.