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Abstract
Conspiracy beliefs about HIV/AIDS among HIV-infected African Americans in Alabama´s Black Belt
A. Zekeri1, T. Habtemariam2
Background: The study examined the endorsement of HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs and their relationships to age, gender, and educational attainment among African Americans infected with HIV.
Methods: We conducted a self-administered survey with 205 African Americans infected with HIV at an AIDS Outreach Organization in Alabama that provides medical and social support services to HIV-positive persons who live in a 23 county area in Southeast Alabama including the Black Belt, home of the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.
Results: Overall, a significant proportion of the respondents endorsed HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs. Approximately 53% held the HIV/AIDS conspiracy view that “HIV is a manmade virus,” 31% endorsed the belief that “Aids is a form of genocide against Blacks,” 56.1% agreed somewhat or strongly that “there is a cure for AIDS, but it is being withheld from the poor,” 37% strongly agreed that “people who take the new medicine for HIV are human guinea pigs for the government,” 43% strongly agreed that “AIDS was produced in the government’s laboratory,” and 70% strongly agreed that “a lot of information about AIDS is being held back from the public.” Endorsing HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs were not related to African Americans’ gender but was related to age and educational attainment. Those who agreed that HIV is manmade, AIDS is a form of genocide against blacks, the medicine used to treat HIV causes people to get AIDS, the medicine that doctors prescribe to treat HIV is poison, and people who take the new medicine for HIV are human guinea pigs for the government tended to be young and poorly educated.
Conclusions: HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs are common among African Americans infected with HIV/AIDS. These general mistrusts of the U.S. government and the health care system can be barriers to prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in African American communities.
AIDS 2006 - XVI International AIDS Conference
Abstract no.
CDD0118
Suggested Citation
"A.Zekeri, et al.
Conspiracy beliefs about HIV/AIDS among HIV-infected African Americans in Alabama´s Black Belt.
:
AIDS 2006 - XVI International AIDS Conference:
Abstract no.
CDD0118"
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