HIV AND AGING: ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN INFORMATION SOURCES AND HIV KNOWLEDGE AMONG PEOPLE AGE 50+

摘要

Older adults account for 50% of people living with HIV and 20% of new HIV infections in the U.S. This may be partly attributed to limited knowledge of personal risk factors. Currently, little is known about where older adults receive HIV information and implications of the information sources on their HIV knowledge. Adults 50–84 years of age in a Midwestern city completed one-time web-based surveys to indicate where they receive HIV information from and complete the HIV Knowledge Questionaire-18. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the relationships between information sources and HIV knowledge controlling for covariates. Participants (n=427) were predominately white (94%) and female (73%), and reported a mean of 5.7 (R=0–13, SD=3.0) sources of HIV information. The listed sources of HIV information include the television (82%), Internet (79%), newspaper (76%), radio (61%), family/friends (54%), healthcare provider (38%), local health department (37%), and library (29%). Receiving HIV information from a healthcare provider (β=.64, p<.05), a local health department (β=.52, p<.05), the Internet (β=1.19, p<.001), and the library (β=.63, p<.05) were associated with higher HIV knowledge, controlling for age, gender, income, education, race, and prior employment in healthcare. Higher number of information sources (β=.12, p<.001) was also associated with higher HIV knowledge. Although healthcare providers and local health departments are not the main sources of HIV information, they may be important in facilitating greater HIV knowledge amongst this age group. Health professionals can also guide and assist them to seek information from multiple credible sources.