Sources of AIDS information among low-risk and at-risk populations in five U.S. cities. AIDS Community Demonstration...

Sources of HIV information were examined for 4,329 residents in five inner-city neighborhoods. Half of the respondents were female; 58% were African American, 21% Hispanic, and 21% White. Forty-nine percent of participants reported one or more practices contributing to HIV risk: injection drug use (35%), sexual contact with an injection drug user (31%), prostitution (27%), or for men, anal sex with a male partner (5% of males). Most had received HIV information in the prior three months through mass or small media sources (78%), and 47% had spoken with someone about HIV. Television was the most frequently mentioned media source (48% of all respondents), while friends and family were the most frequently cited interpersonal source (20%). Exposure to specific mass and small media sources was related to gender, ethnicity, and risk status. Women and individuals at-risk of HIV infection were most likely to have talked with someone about HIV in the past three months. African Americans, however, were less likely to have discussed HIV. Differences associated with gender, ethnicity, and risk status were also observed for interpersonal information sources. Implications for future HIV education efforts are discussed.