Community Environment and HIV/AIDS—Related Stigma in China

Abstract

This article examines the contextual effects of community environment on individual stigmatizing attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS in China. Multilevel logistic regression models are used to analyze data on 5,658 respondents aged 15-49 from 66 communities in the Baseline Information, Education, and Communication Survey for HIV/AIDS Prevention in China, conducted by the State Family Planning Commission in 2000. The results show that a high level of HIV/AIDS-related risk behavior in the community and a low level of community development are associated with increased HIV/AIDS-related stigma, after controlling for respondents' sociodemographic characteristics, including extent of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. The findings suggest that interventions for reducing HIV/AIDS-related stigma in China should take into account community characteristics, such as level of HIV/AIDS-related risk behavior and level of development in the community.