Abstract
The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of HIV and risk behaviors among the inmates' visitors at the Great Tehran Prison in 2018.This population is more likely to be infected with HIV due to their relationship with inmates. However, they have not been prioritized to the other populations in comparison to inmates who are usually prioritized over others. Using a convenient sampling method, we recruited inmates' visitorsat the Great Tehran Prison in 2018. An anonymous questionnaire collected information on the participant's demographic characteristics, relationship withinmate, imprisonment history, drug-related risk behaviors, and HIV-related risk behaviors.Rapid HIV blood test detected HIV positive people. To examine the association between risk behaviors and HIV infection, we used a multivariate logistic regression model to calculate the adjusted Odds Ratio (OR)(adjusted Odds ratio of 23.140, 95% CI OD: 1.994-268.5). 1131 visitors were asked to participate in the study; out of which 1120 consented (99%).Out of the 1120 participants, 55.2% were female, and the majority (72.4%) aged older than 35 years. Of those who had a sexual partner, 50% did not usea condom in the last 6 months. Overall, HIV prevalence was 0.4% in the inmate visitors, but it was significantly higher among those with a history of drug injection(p=0.003). Our findings indicated that overall the HIV prevalence is low amonginmates' visitors; Subgroups with a history of injection have high HIV prevalence which needs to beprioritized for HIV screening and treatment.
Highlights
There are about 230,000 inmates in Iran [1]
The prevalence of HIV among inmates is higher than the general population [2, 3] which attributed to the low socioeconomic condition, lack of knowledge about HIV and its transmission routes, drug injection, high-risk sexual behaviors, and tattoos in inmates [4 - 6]
The majority of men in relationships had unprotected intercourse with their primary partners within days of paroling from prison [11].These findings indicated a high potential risk of HIV transmission to inmates’ sexual partners.According to a study in Iran, turnover of prisoners back to society is high and while prisoners are not separated in prison based on the history of drug use, they might transmit the HIV within the prison which in turn can amplify the possibility of transmitting infection outside of the prison to inmates’ sexual partners or people in their drug use circle [4]
Summary
There are about 230,000 inmates in Iran [1]. The prevalence of HIV among inmates is higher than the general population [2, 3] which attributed to the low socioeconomic condition, lack of knowledge about HIV and its transmission routes, drug injection, high-risk sexual behaviors, and tattoos in inmates [4 - 6]. 36 The Open AIDS Journal, 2020, Volume 14 risk of acquiring HIV infection within the prison and transmitting to others upon release, most of the HIV programs have included inmates people as a priority population [9]. The majority of men in relationships had unprotected intercourse with their primary partners within days of paroling from prison [11].These findings indicated a high potential risk of HIV transmission to inmates’ sexual partners.According to a study in Iran, turnover of prisoners back to society is high and while prisoners are not separated in prison based on the history of drug use, they might transmit the HIV within the prison which in turn can amplify the possibility of transmitting infection outside of the prison to inmates’ sexual partners or people in their drug use circle [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
