Abstract

In the Indonesia Demographic Health Survey 1994 ever married women age 15-49 years were asked whether they have ever heard of AIDS and if so their sources of information concerning prevention and treatment of the disease, and their personal perception about the risk of getting the disease. Half of the women age 20-34 years have ever heard about AIDS and among the older women less than half of them have ever heard about it. This analysis describes information about the relationship between knowledge of ever married women 15-49 years about AIDS with various background characteristics - age, education, occupation, exposure to mass media, area, and regions. This information is required to improve the existing health education campaign about AIDS.   The results indicate that women with less than secondary education or married to husband with less than secondary education or women who do not work or working as farmers are less likely to have ever heard about AIDS. Women who are not exposed to any type of mass media or exposed to only one media are less likely to have ever heard about AIDS than those who are exposed to two or more media. The proportion of women who have ever heard about AIDS in outer Java Bali region is lower than in Java Bali region, likewise in the rural areas it is lower than in urban areas. There are significant associations between area, region, women' education, husbands' education, occupation, exposure to mass media and having ever heart about AIDS. The major source of information about AIDS are from TV and second are newspapers and radio. To control the transmission of HIV/ AIDS the role of mass media is very important and therefore it is necessary to improve the coverage and acceptability of the information considering mothers' education, region/area, and occupation. The information material should be simple and easily understood by the various social levels of community.