Sexual Behaviour and Knowledge of AIDS Among Urban Black Mothers. Implications for AIDS Intervention Programmes

Questionnaires were administered to 122 black urban mothers of teenagers in order to: (1) understand aspects of the sexual behavior and knowledge of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); and (2) assess their communication with their teens with regard to AIDS and sexual behavior. The subjects involved a 12.5% random sample of all households in Lamontville a black township south of Durban. The level of AIDS knowledge among mothers was high while their sexual behavior characterized by a high pregnancy rate and a high proportion who had had children by more than 1 partner who used a condom. Communication with their teenage children was poor; none of the mothers had spoken to them about AIDS and 89.3% had not discussed contraceptive methods with their teens. The authors found that urban black mothers were at high risk for acquiring HIV and despite their knowledge of the modes of HIV transmission and prevention They had not begun using condoms as a risk of unprotected sex to their teenage children. The authors recommend that AIDS intervention strategies not only focus on the transmission of knowledge but also on providing women with the skills necessary to negotiate the use of condoms with their partners and to convey the risk of HIV infection to their teens. (authors modified)