The study rested on the awareness that families, peers, and institutions all influence people's behavior. The study focused on 18 short-term plans covering 6 to 18 months and 12 long-term plans covering 3 to 5 years. The plans studied were from nations in Africa, North America, South America, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific. Twenty-one plans described their nations as having a low prevalence of AIDS and HIV infection. All plans include explicit efforts to inform the public about AIDS, how HIV infection is transmitted, and how HIV transmission is not transmitted. Some plans call for information, testing, and counseling services and the marketing of the services to encourage their use. Even countries with low infection levels are planning public information campaigns, although of varying magnitude and urgency. All plans recognize the media as important channels for information. All plans give the highest priority to the AIDS-related education of health sector personnel, including physicians, medical technicians, and health care workers. Plans also identify such target groups as prostitutes and their clients, homosexual and bisexual men, and travelers. The education programs for specific audiences depend on diverse public and private institutions to inform and educate. Collaboration between national health and education authorities constitutes the most extensive cross-sectoral planning found in the study. The channels of institutional influence most often included in plans are community and political leaders, religious leaders, family planning associations, the Red Cross, employer/employee groups, women's groups, and youth organizations. Overall, the range and magnitude of institutional responses are impressive. Tables.