[The knowledge of the population of Viçosa, MG, about the ways of AIDS transmission].

AIDS is a major public health problem reaching all social strata. Knowing about the ways of transmission is a way of preventing the disease. For evaluating the level of knowledge of the population of the city of Viçosa about AIDS transmission, a questionnaire about the ways of transmission of the disease based on studies made in Europe was applied to 376 individuals. The questionnaire consisted of eleven multiple-choice questions about the ways of AIDS transmission, sex, age and educational level of the interviewees. The results showed that the ways of transmission emphasized in health campaigns are well assimilated, while the questions about everyday situations that offer no risk received a high number of incorrect answers. The differences were not significant when data were stratified by sex. The same data stratified by age or educational level showed significant differences for some questions; people aged over 55 and with a lower educational level had a significantly higher number of incorrect answers. It can be concluded that the population of Viçosa knows the main ways of AIDS transmission, but a part of the population does not know that some everyday situations do not pose risk of transmission. These data can be useful for the preparation of elucidative campaigns for reducing prejudice.