HIV/AIDS awareness and behaviour

This publication highlights findings from a series of national demographic and health surveys that are directly relevant to the AIDS epidemic. It provides a picture of HIV-and AIDS-related awareness and behaviour across countries and population groups, age and gender. The implications of these findings for prevention programmes are discussed in the final section of this publication.

Findings of data from 39 African, Asian and Latin American countries include:

• in over half of the countries, at least 90% of the female population have heard of AIDS, however, in Bangladesh and Nepal, less than 1/3 ever-married women have heard of AIDS
• in most countries, awareness of AIDS is higher among men than women, reaching 34% in the Niger
• awareness grows with the incidence of HIV/AIDS
• urban residents are much more aware of AIDS than rural populations
• more education is associated with greater awareness and better knowledge. In most countries, nearly all respondents with at least a secondary education have heard about AIDS
• where national awareness is very high, even those with no education have heard of AIDS
• radio is by far the most often cited source of knowledge about AIDS, with friends and relatives the second most important source of information in many countries. Schools and teachers appear to play little of a role currently in AIDS awareness
• among those who have heard of the disease, a large majority of female respondents know that people who have the disease almost always die of it. However, in Colombia, Jordan and Mozambique, about ¼ of the respondents think that AIDS is almost never or only sometimes fatal
• while, globally, at least ¾ of respondents know about mother-to-child transmission, in some countries, many women who know they are HIV-positive still wish to become pregnant
• in practically all countries surveyed at least 2/3 of female respondents and 8/10 male respondents said that they are either at no risk at all or at small risk of getting AIDS. In none of the countries surveyed, does the level of education make a significant difference in the responses. Women have a somewhat higher risk perception than men
• in all countries, a large majority of respondents who had heard of AIDS knew at least one way to avoid sexual transmission of the disease. Still, in half the countries surveyed, 1/4 - 1/3 of female respondents know of no way to avoid getting AIDS
• at least 8/10 men know of at least one sexually transmitted infection. However, in some countries, about half the female respondents do not know that they can get a disease through
• in all countries surveyed, a large majority of men reported that they had changed their behaviour to avoid AIDS. In only half the countries have a majority of female respondents made a behavioural change
• among those respondents who did change their behaviour, the most frequently cited change had entailed confining sexual activity to one partner
• only a small percentage of respondents began using condoms to prevent HIV transmission. Among married women, the percentages are particularly low. Figures are usually higher for men, 15-25% in most countries