Differences in AIDS knowledge among Spanish and English speakers by socioeconomic status and ability to speak English.
Previous studies have shown that Hispanics know less about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) than non-Hispanics, but few studies have examined the role of language or socioeconomic status. We used data from a 1998 population-based sample survey of New Jersey adults to compare levels of AIDS knowledge among English and Spanish speakers, taking into account educational attainment and ability to speak English. Spanish speakers, especially those who filled out the questionnaire in Spanish, knew less about AIDS transmission, although their general AIDS knowledge was comparable to English speakers with similar educational attainment. Differences between Hispanics who speak primarily English and those who speak primarily Spanish underscore the idea that linguistic and cultural barriers vary within a cultural group and should be taken into account in the design of AIDS education programs.
Miller
J E
JE
Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, and the Department of Urban Studies and Community Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-5070, USA. jem@rci.rutgers.edu
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D003144:Communication Barriers; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires