Indian adolescents are particularly vulnerable to HIV due to their well-documented lack of information about the disease. While there is ample evidence pertaining to the role of structural factors in the transmission of HIV-related information, much less is understood about the transmission of accurate and inaccurate information among information sources that Indian adolescents have at their disposal.

This dissertation investigated the role of information sources in the transmission of HIV-related knowledge in a nationally representative sample of Indian adolescents who are aware of the disease. A combination of multivariable regression and multiple mediation models examined secondary data from the National Family Health Survey-3 (2005-2006) (N=35,603).

Results revealed a disproportional reliance on non-reciprocal information sources coupled with an under utilization of reciprocal sources that served as conduits for accurate information. Television was the most common source of information and the most effective in terms of increasing comprehensive knowledge. In contrast, health workers were the least utilized source but the most efficacious at increasing accurate information pertaining to condom availability, mother to child transmission, and the availability of health services. Multiple mediation models also determined that sources of information fully or partially mediated nearly three-quarters of the established relationships between demographic characteristics and HIV-related knowledge.

Globally, social networks are rapidly increasing in size, composition, and speed. These findings underscore the importance of understanding, mitigating, and leveraging the social network properties that both constrain and promote HIV prevention efforts in our increasingly interconnected world.