Miami Herald - Thursday, SEP 26 1985

At the same time, despite such strong concern, the national survey suggests there is no public panic about the disease. It suggests that may be so in part because a significant percentage of the population knows who gets the disease and how it is spread.

Three out of four people said they are not afraid of picking up the HTLV-III virus, which causes the disease. A similar proportion are not taking special precautions to avoid exposure.

And again, despite widespread public debate in recent weeks as to whether children with AIDS should be allowed to attend school, more than six in 10 adults favor doing so if health officials say there is no danger. Fewer than one in five said they would be very upset at a proposal to locate an AIDS patient treatment and housing center in their neighborhood.

Federal health authorities have repeatedly stressed, and the media has repeatedly reported, that the disease appears to be spread only through intimate exposure to bodily fluids, largely through sexual contact, and not through casual contact. A large number of those sampled accurately reflected some of the main points made by officials and the media.

In the poll, 48 percent reported they knew "a great deal" or a "good amount" about AIDS; 63 percent had a good idea of the number of reported AIDS cases to date; about 75 percent knew that it affected particular groups of the population, particularly homosexual men, as well as drug addicts and hemophiliacs.

"AIDS is the most important health problem. It's so widespread in such a short time. It's an epidemic," said a divorced mother and social worker from northern California, interviewed after participating in the poll. "But I don't stay up nights losing sleep about it."

Though a majority did not favor more restrictive actions against AIDS victims, a significant minority did. Also, although a large majority said AIDS children should remain in school, about one-third opposed it.

"I wouldn't worry about myself. I worry more about my kids," said a seventh-grade New York City math teacher and mother of four who wavers as to whether children with AIDS should be in school. But, she adds, "I guess the parents out in Queens were too panicked. I don't think that boycott was really called for."

Just over one-fourth said they favor putting people with AIDS "into quarantine in special places to keep them away from the general public."

About 20 percent shared both these views. In addition, about one-third of those polled felt it is unsafe to associate with someone who had AIDS, even if there was no intimate physical contact.

Comparing AIDS to the common cold, 56 percent agreed that is less contagious. But 19 percent said it was about as contagious as the cold, and another 17 percent said it was more so. Twenty-two percent felt AIDS could be passed by "being sneezed on," 16 percent from "sitting on a toilet seat" and 7 percent from "shaking hands."

While 77 percent said they were taking no personal precautions against AIDS, 22 percent did cite a wide range of preventive actions. At the top of their list was avoiding or being more careful in public restrooms or facilities, followed by avoiding contact with homosexuals or socializing less and avoiding strangers. Many of them said they were cutting down on sexual activity, sticking to one partner and limiting the number of partners.

Twelve of 21 men who identified themselves as homosexual or bisexual said they are doing something to limit their exposure to AIDS, particularly changing their sexual behavior.

About half of those polled felt that the government would be spending more money on AIDS research if the disease did not mainly afflict homosexual males and 71 percent said they would be "willing to pay extra taxes if that money were used to find a cure for AIDS." By 41 percent to 26 percent, people approved of the way President Reagan is handling the AIDS situation.

The opinion poll is one of the most extensive conducted to date about public knowledge and concerns about AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The results are based on a representative, national sample of 1,512 adults 18 years and over in the continental United States who were surveyed by telephone between September 19 and 23. There is a theoretical margin of error in the poll of plus or minus three percentage points.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1985. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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