Table 4
Relations between discriminatory attitudes towards PLWHA and perceptions about PLWHA
| % Agreeing or disagree with the statements: | PLWHA are merely receiving punishment they deserve | The majority of PLWHA are promiscuous | PLWHA should feel ashamed of themselves | PLWHA would not make colleagues apprehensive | PLWHA deserve Sympathy | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agree | Else | Adj | Agree | Else | Adj | Agree | Else | Adj | Disagree | Else | Adj | Disagree | Else | Adj | |
| % | % | OR | % | % | OR | % | % | OR | % | % | OR | % | % | OR | |
| Adj OR, odds ratios adjusted for background factors including sex, age, education level, marital status, religion, and housing type. ¶p <0.05; ‡p <0.01; §p <0.001. †Significant at p<0.0025 level after Bonferroni adjustment. | |||||||||||||||
| ¶Agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. **Disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement. | |||||||||||||||
| 1 You would be willing to make personal contact with PLWHA (eg, having meal together) (disagree)** | 35.9 | 17.3 | 2.37§† | 31.2 | 13.4 | 2.34§† | 42.6 | 18.1 | 2.75§† | 26.6 | 13.9 | 2.51§† | 33.9 | 19.1 | 1.98‡ |
| 2 You would avoid having physical contact with PLWHA (eg, not swimming/playing basketball with them) (agree)¶ | 57.5 | 37.4 | 2.14§† | 55.0 | 31.2 | 2.46§† | 56.4 | 39.5 | 1.72* | 48.9 | 31.8 | 2.18§† | 46.4 | 40.8 | 1.09 |
| 3 You would avoid making contact with PLWHA friends (agree)¶ | 39.5 | 19.5 | 2.37§† | 36.0 | 14.1 | 2.77§† | 45.5 | 20.5 | 2.77§† | 28.4 | 17.3 | 2.04§† | 31.3 | 22.4 | 1.37 |
| 4 Employers should refuse to employ PLWHA staff (agree)¶ | 21.0 | 12.0 | 1.67* | 21.5 | 7.9 | 2.73§† | 23.8 | 12.4 | 1.86* | 18.0 | 8.4 | 2.48§† | 15.2 | 13.6 | 0.98 |
| 5 You would refuse to work with a PLWHA (agree)¶ | 24.6 | 10.6 | 2.48§† | 20.1 | 8.4 | 2.42§† | 26.7 | 11.6 | 2.40‡ | 17.7 | 7.8 | 2.66§† | 18.8 | 12.6 | 1.44 |
| 6 PLWHA should be prohibited from using public medical facilities (agree)¶ | 32.3 | 16.1 | 2.17§† | 25.2 | 14.9 | 1.61* | 34.7 | 17.3 | 2.16‡ | 22.5 | 15.3 | 1.69‡ | 20.5 | 19.3 | 0.98 |
| 7 All PLWHA medical staff should be dismissed (agree)¶ | 46.7 | 32.0 | 1.84‡ | 39.7 | 31.4 | 1.39* | 41.6 | 34.1 | 1.36 | 39.6 | 28.9 | 1.65‡ | 45.5 | 33.3 | 1.60* |
| 8 Physicians should have the right in determining whether to serve PLWHA or not (agree)¶ | 41.3 | 37.3 | 1.14 | 36.3 | 39.6 | 0.78 | 34.7 | 38.6 | 0.79 | 36.4 | 40.5 | 0.83 | 39.3 | 37.9 | 1.02 |
| 9 PLWHA should try to minimise their attendance of public activities (eg, funfair, concert) (agree)¶ | 32.3 | 12.3 | 2.95§† | 25.5 | 9.5 | 2.56§† | 30.7 | 14.4 | 2.11‡ | 19.5 | 12.4 | 1.69* | 25.9 | 14.9 | 1.77* |
| 10 PLWHA should move out of their home, not living together with their family members (agree)¶ | 14.4 | 3.9 | 3.51§† | 9.1 | 3.7 | 1.87 | 15.8 | 4.7 | 2.92‡ | 7.8 | 3.8 | 2.43* | 12.5 | 5.0 | 2.26* |
| 11 PLWHA should be prohibited from looking after their children who are under 18 years of age (agree)¶ | 23.4 | 13.7 | 1.82‡ | 19.8 | 12.5 | 1.61* | 22.8 | 14.7 | 1.66 | 16.0 | 15.3 | 1.10 | 22.3 | 14.7 | 1.56 |
| 12 You would want your PLWHA neighbours to move away (agree)¶ | 19.8 | 7.3 | 2.91§† | 15.0 | 5.9 | 2.58§† | 24.8 | 7.8 | 3.53§† | 12.8 | 6.1 | 2.45‡ | 17.9 | 8.6 | 2.01* |
| 13 You would not feel uncomfortable if you had PLWHA neighbours. (Disagree)** | 38.3 | 22.9 | 1.92‡ | 30.9 | 22.4 | 1.39 | 39.6 | 24.2 | 1.86‡ | 29.2 | 22.0 | 1.55* | 34.8 | 24.7 | 1.48 |
| 14 You would object to PLWHA service facilities in your neighbourhood (agree)¶ | 41.3 | 17.3 | 3.07§† | 32.3 | 14.5 | 2.53§† | 43.6 | 19.2 | 2.96§† | 26.8 | 16.2 | 2.12§† | 32.1 | 20.7 | 1.62* |
| 15 All PLWHA school staff should be dismissed (agree)¶ | 35.3 | 15.6 | 2.69§† | 27.2 | 13.8 | 1.91‡ | 34.7 | 17.5 | 2.17‡ | 22.3 | 16.2 | 1.60* | 29.5 | 18.1 | 1.58 |
| 16 It is necessary to enact a law prohibiting PLWHA foreign visitors from visiting Hong Kong (agree)¶ | 64.1 | 42.9 | 2.13§† | 60.9 | 36.7 | 2.36§† | 63.4 | 45.0 | 1.87‡ | 51.7 | 41.3 | 1.65‡ | 59.8 | 45.3 | 1.71* |
| 17 It is necessary to enact a law making PLWHA publicly disclose their HIV status (agree)¶ | 28.1 | 16.5 | 1.87‡ | 23.5 | 15.4 | 1.51* | 34.7 | 16.7 | 2.44§† | 20.3 | 17.1 | 1.20 | 31.3 | 17.0 | 2.16‡ |
| 18 It is necessary to enact a law that sexual activity of PLWHA should be criminalised (regardless of whether the sex partner was informed) (agree)¶ | 73.1 | 53.0 | 2.26§† | 66.3 | 50.1 | 1.78§† | 66.3 | 55.9 | 1.36 | 62.3 | 50.3 | 1.67‡ | 64.3 | 56.0 | 1.31 |
| 19 Insurance companies should refuse PLWHA’s insurance (agree)¶ | 48.5 | 27.3 | 2.44§† | 36.3 | 28.1 | 1.39* | 46.5 | 29.6 | 1.97‡ | 34.2 | 28.3 | 1.30 | 44.6 | 29.6 | 1.89‡ |
| 20 If your family members unfortunately contract HIV, you are willing to take care of their daily living (disagree)** | 6.6 | 2.3 | 2.65* | 4.2 | 2.4 | 1.56 | 7.9 | 2.5 | 2.97* | 3.9 | 2.3 | 1.68 | 9.8 | 2.2 | 4.91§† |
| Discriminatory attitudes in ⩾5 of the above items | 65.9 | 36.2 | 3.08§ | 56.4 | 31.4 | 2.40§ | 68.3 | 38.6 | 3.05§ | 48.7 | 33.8 | 2.02§ | 54.5 | 40.4 | 1.56* |
