Lack of Knowledge About HIV/AIDS Among City Dwellers in China Puts Them at High Risk for Contracting the Disease, Poll Says
A lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS among people who live in Chinese cities puts them at a high risk of contracting the disease, according to an Internet poll conducted by Zogby International and MFC Insight, Reuters reports. The poll, which in March surveyed 3,753 adults ages 18 to 54 in China, finds that 37% of men visit commercial sex workers and that one-third of people say they "always" discuss HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections with potential sex partners (Fox, Reuters, 8/3). In addition, the poll finds a "widespread lack of knowledge" about STI transmission routes and shows a "cause for concern," as respondents "present a dangerous mixture of complacency and ignorance about sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS," pollster John Zogby said in a statement (Zogby release, 8/4). Forty-five percent of the respondents were married and two-thirds were male, Reuters reports (Reuters, 8/3). Zogby said that although the survey "reached a group of people who are more urban, wealthy, educated and male than China overall," it "opens a window onto sexual behavior in the world's most populous nation" (Zogby release, 8/4). According to the researchers, the findings suggest that better sex education is needed in China (Reuters, 8/3).
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