Perception of reliability of human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS information sources

The sources of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS information as well as the perception of reliability of information from these sources may have a significant impact on the effectiveness of HIV risk reduction messages in reaching high risk populations. We examined the sources of HIV information and the perception of reliability of information from these sources among African Americans (n = 441), Hispanic Americans (n = 456), and whites (n = 297), in Houston, Texas. The data revealed that African Americans and Hispanics were most likely to receive their HIV/AIDS information from the "media" compared with whites who received most of their information from "government agencies and professionals." Information from "family, friends and schools" were regarded as the least reliable by respondents from all three ethnic groups. The data also showed that perceptions of reliability of information sources were influenced by level of educational attainment. Implications for designing target audience-specific intervention strategies for the prevention of the spread of HIV disease are discussed.