Improvement in AIDS knowledge, perceptions and risk behaviours over a short period in a rural community of Senegal

The objective of this paper is to assess knowledge, perceptions and behavioural changes in response to AIDS in a rural community in the south of Senegal, comparing 2 cross-sectional surveys using standardized questionnaires and performed in 1990-1992 and 1994. An AIDS-related knowledge score was built using 4 questions about routes of HIV transmission, ranging from 0 to 4. The score increased between the 2 surveys from 1.6 to 2.1 for men (P = 0.006) and from 0.8 to 2.6 for women (P < 10(-4)). The proportion of those who responded 'I don't know' to the 4 questions dealing with routes of AIDS transmission decreased from 24% to 14% on the average for men and from 66% to 20% on the average for women. The proportion of men who declared casual sex partners in the past 12 months decreased from 39% to 21% (P = 0.01). However, the proportion remained stable for women (from 15% to 18%). These results show that despite a relatively low level of HIV infection (0.8% of all adults), AIDS-related knowledge increased and at-risk behaviour decreased in a rural area of west Africa.