John K. C. Jardenil; Castro, JRL; Francia RAS; Resurreccion, PA
Remedios AIDS Foundation Center, Manila, Philippines; AIDSCOM,
Philippines; Department of Health, Manila, Philippines

ASSESSING INFORMATION NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC
VISITING AN AIDS INFORMATION CENTER

OBJECTIVE:

To assess information needs of walk-in visitors of an AIDS information center in Manila in order to design education and counseling programs.

METHOD:

Evaluation of walk-in visitors' counseling profiles specifically their reasons for visiting the center.

RESULTS:

A range of problem were specified by visitors as indicated in the profiles. Visitors gave various reasons for the visits, but most of the problems consulted were related to human sexuality (e.g., pregnancy, homosexuality, STDs, etc.) and not exactly on HIV and AIDS. Discussions on AIDS were used in most instances as a starting point of conversation.

CONCLUSIONS:

The study indicates that people do not necessarily identify the center as a specific AIDS information center, rather depends on the center as a counseling service. Future activities of the center should include human sexuality. The center should also design services that will respond to the varied information needs of the public and not to zero-in on HIV and AIDS alone.