Women's Reproductive Health, Sociocultural Context and AIDS Knowledge in Northern India

Saseendran Pallikadavath, University of Southampton
William Stones, University of Southampton
A. A. Jayachandran, Population Foundation of India

The 1998-99 Indian National Family Health Survey addressed AIDS knowledge among a sample of women in the reproductive age group. Two low HIV prevalence states, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh show that only two-fifths of women had AIDS awareness. Knowledge associated sociocultural factors in MP were education and watching television, findings very similar to those in UP. The type and combination of media were strongly associated with the pattern of knowledge of whether or not AIDS can be avoided, which varied between the states. The impact of contact with FP services on knowledge that AIDS can be avoided was non-significant. Implications for public health policy are that single media educational approaches are not likely to be effective in promoting AIDS knowledge; that there is under-utilised potential for the dissemination of AIDS awareness via FP services and that state-specific characteristics of women need to be taken into account in designing interventions.