1988 public awareness survey on AIDS and condoms in Uganda

This report presents the results of a survey conducted between February and April 1988 to ascertain Ugandans' perception of AIDS as a problem, their knowledge of the disease and how it is spread, the resultant change in their sexual behaviour and their knowledge of, and attitudes towards, condoms. Two hundred and four people (98 women, 106 men) were interviewed from three locations; Kampala (an area with a high incidence of AIDS), Kabale, a town in central Kigezi, and villages in North Kigezi (both relatively low incidence areas). The main points to emerge are: (1) all the respondents were aware of the disease; (2) only 3.6% of respondents mentioned AIDS of their own accord as a problem for Uganda; (3) those in Kampala were most knowledgeable and men in all three areas were generally more informed than women; (4) change in behaviour was more pronounced in those who had known an AIDS victim personally; (5) 100% of men and 79% of women had heard of condoms but only eight men (9.4%) and one woman (1.0%) used condoms regularly for the prevention of AIDS, and (6) there was, nonetheless, a degree of willingness to use condoms once informed that they could reduce the risk of AIDS.