**2. Methodology**

#### **2.1 Data**

Data for this paper were drawn from the Botswana AIDS Impact Surveys (BAIS) conducted in 2001, 2004 and 2008. The main objectives of the BAIS were to provide information to: assess whether programs are operating as intended; assess performance of intervention programs; assess whether people are changing their sexual behavior; establish the proportion of people in need of care due to HIV infection; establish the proportion of people who are at risk of HIV infection; assess the impact of the pandemic at household level; and provide information on issues related to the impact of HIV/AIDS on households and communities (Republic of Botswana, 2002a).

All the three surveys have asked the same questions that can be used to assess the level and trends in HIVAIDS-relates stigma and discriminatory attitudes. In this paper, the following three questions were used to assess HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination: i) If a member of your family became sick with HIV/AIDS, would you be willing to care for him or her in your household? ii) If a teacher has HIV/AIDS but is not sick, should s/he be allowed to continue teaching in school? iii) If you knew that shopkeeper or food seller had HIV/AIDS, would you buy vegetables from them? These questions were asked in the three surveys in the same way that makes them comparable.

Respondents who did not complete the individual questionnaire were excluded from the present analysis. The analysis was also restricted to those aged 10-64 years.
