Vietnam Authority of HIV/AIDS Control, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2019 Jan 15;14(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s13011-019-0191-8.
Globally, people who inject drugs are highly vulnerable to HIV transmission. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programs are one of the most cost-effective mechanisms to substitute opioid use and improve the quality of life of patients. Since the coverage of MMT is still limited and even for those patients who are treated, improving their knowledge on HIV and maintaining healthy behaviors are key to maximizing the outcomes of HIV harm reduction programs. This study examined the knowledge on HIV, perceived risk and HIV testing among drug users accessing methadone maintenance services in three Vietnamese mountainous areas.
A cross-sectional study of 300 people enrolling for MMT services in three provinces in Vietnam was conducted. The factors associated with the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of respondents about HIV/AIDS were exploited using multivariable logistic model.
Of the 300-people surveyed, 99% knew of HIV and 60.6% were identified as having good knowledge. While 75.2% identified that injecting drugs was a risk factor for HIV, 52.2% thought they were not at risk of HIV mainly as they did not share needles. 92.6% had undergone HIV testing with 17.4% being positive, a number which was significantly lower than Vietnam's national average for people who inject drugs. Age, ethnicity and education were associated with knowledge of HIV while ART treatment was linked to self-assessed HIV status.
This study sheds new light on the knowledge attitudes and practices of people who inject drugs, particularly males in mountainous areas of Vietnam regarding HIV prevention. Overall, knowledge was good with most conducting safe practices towards transmission. Enhanced education and targeting of minority groups could help in increasing the numbers receiving MMT and HIV services.
在全球范围内，注射毒品者极易感染艾滋病毒。美沙酮维持治疗（MMT）方案是替代阿片类药物使用并改善患者生活质量的最具成本效益的机制之一。由于 MMT 的覆盖范围仍然有限，即使对于接受治疗的患者，提高他们对艾滋病毒的认识并保持健康的行为是最大限度地实现艾滋病毒减少伤害项目效果的关键。本研究调查了在越南三个山区接受美沙酮维持治疗服务的吸毒者对艾滋病毒的认识、感知风险和艾滋病毒检测情况。
对越南三个省的 300 名参加美沙酮维持治疗服务的人员进行了横断面研究。利用多变量逻辑模型分析了与受访者关于艾滋病毒/艾滋病的知识、态度和行为相关的因素。
在接受调查的 300 人中，99%的人了解艾滋病毒，60.6%的人被认为具有良好的知识。虽然 75.2%的人认为注射毒品是感染艾滋病毒的一个风险因素，但 52.2%的人认为他们没有感染艾滋病毒的风险，主要是因为他们没有共用针头。92.6%的人接受了艾滋病毒检测，其中 17.4%呈阳性，这一数字明显低于越南全国注射吸毒者的平均水平。年龄、族裔和教育程度与艾滋病毒知识相关，而抗逆转录病毒治疗与自我评估的艾滋病毒状况相关。
本研究揭示了越南山区注射吸毒者，特别是男性在艾滋病毒预防方面的知识、态度和行为的新情况。总体而言，知识水平良好，大多数人采取了安全的措施来防止传播。加强教育和针对少数民族群体的工作可以帮助增加接受美沙酮维持治疗和艾滋病毒服务的人数。
