The effects of individual- and community-level knowledge, beliefs, and fear on stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS in China

Abstract

This paper assesses the effects of individual- and community-level knowledge of HIV transmission, beliefs and fear of infection on individual attitudes toward and willingness to interact with people living with HIV/AIDS in China. Data are from a sample survey of 12,270 men and women age 15–49 from seven provinces/municipalities. The survey was conducted by the Population and Family Planning Commission in December 2003. Multilevel regression analyses show that stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS is strongly associated with community-level HIV knowledge and fear, even after taking into account HIV knowledge and fear at the individual level. The findings suggest that individual attitudes are partially shaped through social learning and social influence. Public-health interventions aimed at eliminating stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS will need to pay special attention to social and community influences while continuously working to enhance HIV knowledge and reduce inaccurate beliefs and fear.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Øistein Kravdal, Shyam Thapa, Jichuan Wang, and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. They also thank Sidney B. Westley and Charlotte Putney for editorial assistance.