Research Memo #1

Title: HIV and AIDS

Hypothesis: Many people do not know how severe and dangerous HIV and AIDS can be to an individual. Not only a single person, but also to their loved ones. People often think badly about victims with this virus because they make their own assumptions on how they got the disease. However, there are some cases in which the victims had no control over it. Many people inherit HIV or AIDS at birth. My hypothesis is that most people barely know what HIV and AIDS really are. Therefore, I ask, how much information do people really know about HIV and AIDS? My hypothesis is that most people barely know what HIV and AIDS really are.

Context: For my research, I passed out surveys to people between the age group of 14-60. I chose these respondents because HIV and AIDS affect people of all ages. My results were reliable and valid because my respondents understood my survey and its questions fully. They had no questions or had to make any corrections to my survey. My data was not biased or skewed because I did not try to persuade anyone to agree with my viewpoints or beliefs. However, I did have to change some of my questions before I handed out my survey, because my questions were not specific enough at the beginning. For example, on question seven, at first, I asked “HIV and AIDS are most common amongst which race?”, and then I left a blank for the respondents to put their response. Later, I went back and added some multiple choice answers to go along with the question.

.Results:

Question 1	Do any of your friends or family members have HIV or AIDS?	50% said yes	50% said no
Question 2	What percentage of the world’s population is infected with HIV or AIDS?	70% said 25- 34 million	10% said 50 million	20% said other
Question 3	Do you think the government should spend more money on finding a cure for HIV or AIDS?	100% said yes because it is a devastating issue on the rise.	0 % said no
Question 4	If you answered yes to question 3, how much money do you think the government should spend on finding a cure for HIV or AIDS?	40% said 2-55 million dollars	20% said 500 million-1 billion dollars	40 % said “Whatever amount of money is needed” or “enough money to find a cure”.
Question 5	On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest) how severe do you think the effects of HIV and AIDS are on the human body?	60% said 10	20% said 9	20% said 8
Question 6	Which of the following are symptoms of HIV and AIDS? (Check all that apply). -Vomiting/stomach problems -Dizziness -Coughing/sore throat -Headaches -Muscle soreness -Weight loss	60% checked all	30% checked more than half	10% checked less than half
Question 7	HIV and AIDS are most common amongst which race?	60% said African	30% said African Americans	10% said Hispanics
Question 8	Do you think HIV and AIDS are most common in males or females?	70% said females	30% said males
Question 9	Which age group has the largest population of people with HIV and AIDS?	80% said ages 20-30	20% said ages 30-40
Question 10	Do you agree that the treatment for HIV and AIDS has improved over the years?	90% said agree	10% said disagree

 Data Analysis: After my surveys were completed, I found that the strongest responses were questions 3, 5, 9, and 10.  In question 3, 100% of the respondents said that the government should spend more money on finding a cure for HIV and AIDS. In question 5, the respondents said… In question 9, 80% said age group with the largest population of HIV and AIDS is ages 20-30. In question 10, 90% of the respondents agree that the treatment for HIV and AIDS has improved over the years. Some responses that where a little strong were questions 2, 7, and 8. In question 2, 70% said 25-34 million people in the world are infected with HIV and AIDS.  In question 7, 60% said HIV and AIDS are most common amongst Africans. In question 8, 70% said that HIV and AIDS are most common amongst females. The least strong response was question 1. In question 1, only 50% of the respondents do not know someone with HIV and AIDS. After analyzing all my data, I think the respondents answered the way they did because they now know that HIV and AIDS are a serious and deadly disease.

Conclusion: I sent out these surveys to find out how much people really know about HIV and AIDS. I thought people would not know much information on the virus, but in the end, I was really surprised with my results. The respondents knew more than I had expected. I was very impressed. I was pleased to discover that people agree that HIV and AIDS are a very important issue and it is spreading rapidly.

Follow Up: Although there is treatment for HIV and AIDs, there is no cure. As I continue my research, I want to really explore the different types of HIV and AIDS treatment and has it helped more and more people over the years.