Ngo Thi Thanh Huong. Effects of HIVaids prevention outreach activities on HIVAIDS knowledge and risk behaviors of young male IDUs in Kyson Nghean Vietnam. Master's Degree(Population and Reproductive Health Research ). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2008.
Effects of HIVaids prevention outreach activities on HIVAIDS knowledge and risk behaviors of young male IDUs in Kyson Nghean Vietnam
Abstract:
This study examines the effects of outreach activities in an HIV/AIDS
prevention program conducted from 2005 to 2007 by the STDs/HIV/AIDS Prevention
Centre and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation on HIV/AIDS knowledge and risk
behaviors of young male injecting drug users (IDUs) in Kyson, Nghean, Vietnam.
Data were collected from 326 IDUs aged 15-30 years in the hotspots in Kyson.
Logistic regression was employed to analyze the relationship between program
activities and HIV/AIDS knowledge and risk behaviors of IDUs taking into account
their demographic characteristics. The major results show that IDUs who were
exposed to the program, which provided information and free needles, were 3-7 times
more likely to have good HIV/AIDS knowledge than IDUs who were not (p<0.001).
Additionally, these IDUs were also 3.2 times more likely to use condoms in sexual
intercourse and 97% less likely to share needles for drug injection than others who
were not (p<0.001). Furthermore, the research results also show the significant
difference in HIV/AIDS knowledge and risk behaviors (sharing needles and condom
use) between people who were exposed to the component which provided only
HIV/AIDS information by IEC materials and people who were exposed to the
component which provided free needles and condoms by peer educators (p<0.01).
Overall, outreach activities of the program had a strong effect on enhancing
HIV/AIDS knowledge and decreasing risk behaviors among young male IDUs in
Kyson, which contributed to the mitigation of HIV risk for this group.