Abstract
China has a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic mostly among intravenous drug users. The purpose of this study was to examine the HIV/AIDS related knowledge and risk behaviors among a group of former intravenous drug users utilizing services at a methadone clinic in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. A sample of 140 methadone care recipients was surveyed on their demographic characteristics, drug-using behaviors, sexual behaviors, and factors related to risk behaviors including HIV/AIDS related awareness and knowledge. Although HIV/AIDS related knowledge was high, respondents reported that they did not use condoms, they shared needles, and they participated in commercial sex. Additionally, the respondents’ perception of their risk for HIV infection was not always in accordance with their reported risk behaviors. This research suggests that methadone care recipients could act as a bridge population for HIV transmission to populations not involved with intravenous drug use. Further research on former intravenous drug users in China and their risk behaviors is warranted.
Highlights
At the end of 2007, there were an estimated 33.2 million people living with HIV worldwide [1]
This study provides a description of methadone care recipients in Liuzhou
Methadone care recipients were chosen as the study population because of documented past intravenous drug use and a population likely to have been at higher risk for HIV
Summary
At the end of 2007, there were an estimated 33.2 million people living with HIV worldwide [1]. In 2003, the Chinese Ministry of Health reported that the number of HIV cases was increasing at an average rate of 30% every year since 1999 [3,4]. In 2011, the prevalence of HIV infection in China was 0.06% (nearly 1 million people) and the HIV prevalence in China is expected to grow to 1.8 million people living with HIV/AIDS in 2015 [5,6]. In China HIV/AIDS is mostly reported among intravenous drug users (IDUs) [7,8]. In 2004, China officially reported 1.14 million drug users, but the estimated number is 3.5 million drug users and it is increasing each year [9]. The majority of HIV cases were reportedly transmitted through injection drug use, HIV transmission in China is increasingly found to be through sexual interaction [8]. An increase in sexually transmitted HIV infection was found between 1997 with 5.5% of HIV infections due to sexual transmission and 2002 with 10.9% of HIV infections due to sexual transmission [8]
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