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Rumors and realities: Making sense of HIV/AIDS conspiracy narratives and contemporary legends

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  • Heller, J.

Abstract

The social context of the early HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States provided fertile ground for rumors about transmission. Today, however, rumors about HIV/AIDS persist only within the African American public. Focus group and public discourse data reveal the content and distribution of HIV/AIDS origin and conspiracy rumors. Rumor and contemporary legend theory allows reinterpretation of rumors as a measure of trust between the African American public and health professionals, not as evidence of ignorance or of historical racial oppression. To improve public health results in the African American community, HIV/AIDS efforts must acknowledge the sources and meanings of rumors, include rumors as a measure of trust, and address the underlying distrust that the rumors signify.

Suggested Citation

  • Heller, J., 2015. "Rumors and realities: Making sense of HIV/AIDS conspiracy narratives and contemporary legends," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(1), pages 43-50.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2014.302284_3
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302284
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    Cited by:

    1. Sharon Lamb & Marta Pagán-Ortiz & Sara Bonilla, 2021. "How to Provide Sexual Education: Lessons from a Pandemic on Masculinity, Individualism, and the Neoliberal Agenda," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-15, April.
    2. Stephen Bok & Daniel E. Martin & Erik Acosta & Maria Lee & James Shum, 2021. "Validation of the COVID-19 Transmission Misinformation Scale and Conditional Indirect Negative Effects on Wearing a Mask in Public," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-23, October.
    3. Jimoh Amzat, 2020. "Beyond Wishful Thinking: The Promise of Science Engagement at the Community Level in Africa," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 36(2), pages 206-228, June.
    4. Shadi Shahsavari & Pavan Holur & Tianyi Wang & Timothy R. Tangherlini & Vwani Roychowdhury, 2020. "Conspiracy in the time of corona: automatic detection of emerging COVID-19 conspiracy theories in social media and the news," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 279-317, November.
    5. Christopher J. Burman, 2019. "Re-Contextualizing Medical Pluralism in South Africa: a Research Schema for Indigenous Decision Making," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 379-402, August.

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