Abstract

This paper identifies the vulnerable groups which have lower level of specific knowledge about transmission and ways of avoiding human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Majority of respondents, about 92% floating and 99% frequently moving, heard the name HIV/AIDS from various sources of media, but 52% floating and 31% frequently moving respondents do not know the fearfulness of HIV/AIDS. Electronic media is the most dominant source of hearing about HIV/AIDS. In this study, it was also found that uncontrolled and unsafe sexual relation is the main cause of HIV/AIDS (answer given by the respondents). Further, all the variables (respondents’ age, marital status, educational level and occupation) of contingency analysis were significantly associated with HIV/AIDS in frequently moving respondents but the same variables were not seen in floating respondents. In multivariate logistic analysis, we found that in case of frequently moving respondents, variables like respondents’ age, marital status, education and occupation exert significant effect on the knowledge about the fearfulness of HIV/AIDS; whereas in floating respondents, only education variable exerts significant effect on the knowledge about the fearfulness of HIV/AIDS.

Key words: Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), fearfulness, logistic regression analysis, floating and frequently moving.