Des Moines, Iowa

Community Profile: Des Moines, Iowa

Community Characteristics

Knowledge about HIV/AIDS was lower in Des Moines than in the other groups, with several people unsure about the difference between HIV and AIDS. Some were aware that people with AIDS could benefit from medication, but many were not aware that medications could be used to manage HIV and prevent the onset of AIDS. One participant maintained that the chance of someone dying of AIDS is connected to how the virus is transmitted, implying that getting it through risky behavior means a greater chance of death.

Yet all agreed that condoms prevent the transmission, and as one participant put it, “It’s not like the flu. If one of us walked in here with the flu, it’s [likely] every one of us is going to walk out of here with it. If one of us walked in here with AIDS, even if we did have a wild party, it would still be a very unlikely chance that very many of us would walk out of here with it.”

But overall, as in other groups, they were clearly uncomfortable with the idea of having a teacher or doctor with HIV work with them or their children.

The one African-American in the group said she heard that African-American women are more likely to get the disease, and while a few others thought that was true, most said it had to be young people of any race, because “younger people would have a wilder lifestyle.” Interestingly, some participants asserted that the incidence of HIV/AIDS cases in Des Moines is equal to that in urban areas like New York City, because “the chances of having sex with someone with AIDS is pretty much the same.”

Not surprisingly, as overall their awareness of the issue was less than in the other groups, they leaned strongly toward general education as a good solution for dealing with HIV/AIDS, but they disapproved of campaigns that would use emotional appeals or condone certain lifestyles, instead favoring education where they could “get the facts” and make their own decisions.

There was also concern that a vaccine might lead to more risky behavior, or as one participant put it, “If we got a vaccine for it, how many kids are going to say, ‘Well, I have nothing to worry about now. You can’t get AIDS now.’ She might go get pregnant...”

On more specific proposals, participants tried to straddle a line between privacy and moral obligation, stressing that the government generally should not intrude but people themselves should come forward, or as one person put it, “I think we should just be more moral.”

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