[Knowledge about HIV/AIDS in young people from indigenous migrant day laborer families in Colima and Nayarit].

Objective: to explore the pattern of knowledge about HIV/AIDS among young native migrant farm workers.

Methods: analytical crosscut study. Sample: 135 young people selected by propositive sampling. A questionnaire about knowledge of HIV/AIDS and socio-demographics was applied. A descriptive analysis was made and a knowledge pattern was estimated by means of factorial analysis.

Results: average age 19.9 ± 5.8, men 54.8 %, bilingual 79.4 %, elementary or no education, 78.7 %, single 60.4 %, Catholic 67.6 %, two or more work trips 61.8 %; 80.7 % had heard about HIV/AIDS, especially from informal information sources (72 %). Knowledge pattern was homogenous (greater consensus in Nayarit than in Colima: 6.2 versus 3.8) and directed towards building risk identities based on personage (prostitutes 88.1%, men having sex with other men 45 %) and urban setting (78 %). It includes uncertainty about the effectiveness of condoms, the mosquito as a vector, and dentists as transmitters. The pattern showed significant differences according to sex, education and migrant experience.

Conclusions: the knowledge of young people does not favor safe sex practices, and the low risk perception could favor their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.