HIV/AIDS knowledge among female migrant farm workers in the midwest

The rate of HIV infection in the migrant farm worker community is 10 times the national average. A survey was conducted of 106 female migrant farm workers in rural Northwest Ohio to assess HIV knowledge. The average participant's age was 28.7 years, 78 spoke Spanish, and 47 had an < or =8th- grade education. Fifty-six women received their information on HIV/AIDS from television. Eighty-seven women identified sexual contact as the major source of HIV transmission and 54 women identified the combination of sex, use of needles, and blood contact as the important routes. Sixty-nine women identified both homosexual and heterosexual intercourse as risk factors. Only 58 women identified perinatal infection as a route of HIV transmission and 59 women knew that treatment was available to prevent perinatal transmission. Although the majority of women had a good general knowledge of HIV transmission, further prevention education on perinatal transmission is needed among this population.