HIV-INFECTION - HIGH-RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG DRUG-USERS IN SOUTHEAST FRANCE

HIV risk behaviours among intravenous drug users (IVDUs) were studied in southeast France, where the prevalence of HIV infection is high. Data were collected from a self-reported questionnaire distributed to drug addicts admitted in the health care or social institutions of the Alpes Maritimes department during November 1991. Among the 195 IVDUs who answered the questionnaire, 142 (73 percent) were male and 53 (27 percent) were female. One hundred and seventeen (62 percent) were HIV positive, 21 (11 percent) had an unknown HIV status, and 51 (27 percent) where HIV negative. Significant differences in HIV risk behaviours were found between HIV negative, unknown HIV status and HIV positive IDVUs : 37 percent of unknown status and 47 percent of HIV negative IVDUs continued to lend their syringe, compared with less than 20 percent HIV positive IVDUs (P < 0.001). Conversely, 57 percent of unknown HIV status and 39 percent of HIV negative IVDUs borrowed used syringes in the previous 6 months, compared with 73 percent of HIV positive IVDUs (p < 0.001). Regarding sexual prevention behaviours of patients who had had sexual intercourse during the previous 6 months: less than 20 percent of HIV negative IVDUs used condoms regularly, as against 47 percent of HIV positive IVDUs (P < 0.001). More than 70 percent of HIV negative versus 46 percent of HIV positive reported sexual intercourse without condom (p < 0.001). Logistic regression showed that the systematic use of condom was associated with a reduction of needle sharing, which suggests that IVDUs who use condoms have the best perception of risk. But the only factor associated with an increase in condom use is a HIV positive serology. These results indicate that in southeast France more efforts should be devoted to specific programmes aimed at increasing the use of condoms in the IVDU population.