Akinsulure-Smith Adeyinka M
Department of Psychology, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA,
J Immigr Minor Health. 2014 Jun;16(3):481-91. doi: 10.1007/s10903-013-9829-1.
Because of ongoing political and social instability throughout the continent, many Africans have become forced migrants. Unlike immigrants who choose to migrate, forced migrants flee their countries in search of safety and often endure multiple traumatic events during their migration. They are often unprepared for new risks in their adopted country. There is a high incidence of newly-diagnosed HIV cases among West African immigrants in the New York City metropolitan area, but little research to date to understand why this might occur. In order to gain insight, the current pilot study explored HIV knowledge, risk and protective behaviors among 52 West African-born forced migrants in New York City. HIV risk behavior came primarily from unprotected heterosexual activities. While most participants were very knowledgeable about HIV transmission and risk factors, almost half reported that they had not used condoms during sexual activities in the past 6 months. Women were more knowledgeable about HIV transmission, yet reported significantly more STDs than men. Many participants did not know about HIV/AIDS treatments and could not identify HIV/AIDS services and resources within their immigrant communities. Factors influencing HIV risk and protective behaviors among this population are identified and discussed. Suggestions for future research and strategies to reduce risky behaviors while enhancing protective ones among forced West African migrants are highlighted.
由于整个非洲大陆持续存在政治和社会不稳定状况，许多非洲人成为了被迫移民。与选择移民的人不同，被迫移民逃离自己的国家以寻求安全，并且在移民过程中常常经历多重创伤事件。他们往往对移入国家的新风险毫无准备。在纽约市大都市区的西非移民中，新诊断出的艾滋病毒病例发生率很高，但迄今为止几乎没有研究来了解为何会出现这种情况。为了深入了解，当前的试点研究探讨了纽约市52名出生于西非的被迫移民的艾滋病毒知识、风险及保护行为。艾滋病毒风险行为主要源于无保护的异性性行为。虽然大多数参与者对艾滋病毒传播和风险因素非常了解，但近一半的人报告称在过去6个月的性行为中未使用避孕套。女性对艾滋病毒传播了解更多，但报告的性传播感染病例明显多于男性。许多参与者不了解艾滋病毒/艾滋病治疗方法，也无法在其移民社区中找到艾滋病毒/艾滋病服务和资源。本文确定并讨论了影响这一人群艾滋病毒风险及保护行为的因素。重点提出了未来研究的建议以及在增强西非被迫移民保护行为的同时减少其危险行为的策略。
