A comparison of the predictors of perceived susceptibility to HIV infection held by women and men using the NHIS AIDS supplement 1991
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The purpose of this study was to investigate perceived susceptibility to HIV/AIDS in women and men based on the Health Belief Model. The public file NHIS AIDS Supplement 1991 was used for analysis. A multi-stage cluster sample of 42,725 individuals from every region in the U.S. was used. Thirty percent of the subjects indicated a perceived susceptibility to HIV/AIDS. Chi-square analysis found a difference (p.0.000) in perceived susceptibility in women and men. However, this may not be meaningful. It may be an artifact of the large N. Fewer women (28%) perceived themselves as susceptible than men (34%). Stepwise regression analysis disclosed nine variables, accounting for only 12% of the total variance, related to susceptibility: age, education, class of work, marital status, risk behavior, belief in condoms, and blood tests for immigration, a marriage license or to see if infected (sig. F =.0000). Chi-square analysis of these nine variables showed all of these were significantly different for women and men except blood tests for immigration and a marriage license. The results suggest women feel less susceptible to HIV/AIDS than men and may be less likely to change behavior. There remains considerable variance in perceived susceptibility to HIV/AIDS to be explained.