Non-Gays See, Ignore AIDS Peril, Study Says

A growing percentage of sexually active heterosexuals here feel personally threatened by AIDS, although most do not use condoms regularly or take other measures to protect themselves from infection with the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus, a new survey found.

The survey also found that heterosexuals in greatest danger of contracting acquired immune deficiency syndrome--those with four or more sexual partners annually and those whose partners engage in such high-risk behavior as injecting drugs with a needle--are the least likely to take precautions against transmission of the virus.

The survey was commissioned by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which will use the results to refine its educational campaign to halt transmission of the virus among heterosexuals. Similar educational efforts in the gay community have led to behavioral changes that have virtually stopped transmission of the virus here, in New York and in other cities, according to the AIDS Foundation.

“In this study, we saw a greater recognition of the fact that you don’t have to be gay or shoot drugs to get AIDS,” said Lyn Paleo, the foundation’s educational director. Forty-one percent of the sexually active heterosexuals surveyed said they feel personally threatened by AIDS, up from 31% in 1986.

The survey was funded by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

“We are pleased to see that the sample had a high level of knowledge about how AIDS is spread,” said city health director Dr. David Werdegar. “The challenge now is to translate that knowledge into behavioral change.”

Heterosexually transmitted cases of AIDS represent 4% of the 84,133 cases reported in the United States, and experts differ on how far or fast the virus will spread among heterosexuals.

Still, health authorities advise sexually active heterosexuals to cut down on the number of sex partners and to always use latex condoms. Condoms made of lambskin are believed to be less effective at preventing transmission of the virus.