AEGiS-11IAC: Association among AIDS-related perceived risk, sexual risk behaviors and knowledge in a sample of cocaine addicts.

11th International AIDS Conference


Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

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Association among AIDS-related perceived risk, sexual risk behaviors and knowledge in a sample of cocaine addicts.

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:458 (abstract no. Pub.C.1124)
Mesquita A, Ribeiro CM, Razzouk D, Xavier da Silveira D; PROAD, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brasil. Fax: (0055)(11)570.1543.

OBJECTIVE: To describe AIDS-related sexual risk behaviors, risk perception and knowledge and study the association among knowledge, high and low risk perception and risk behaviors.

METHODS: Seventy-six male cocaine dependent patients (DSM-IV Criteria) were administered a structured questionnaire collecting data on socio-demographics, AIDS -related sexual risk behaviors, perceived risk, knowledge and lifetime, past 6 months and present drug use. The Chi-square, The Fisher Exact Test and the Odds Ratio were employed in order to analyze the data, with minimum significance of 5% or p is less than 0.05.

RESULTS: 40% of the patients never used condoms, 40% had more than one sexual partner in the past 6 months, 69% had a low risk perception and 71% presented high knowledge level. It was detected a very strong association between low risk perception and low level of knowledge (OR=6; CL=1.55-24.91; p=0.00846), and between low risk perception and a high number of sexual partners in the past 6 months (OR= 10,83; CL=2.50-72.87; p=0.00044), and a strong tendency of the low risk perception group not to use condoms regularly (OR=7.34; CL=0.98-64.19; p=0.05240). It was not detected an association between levels of knowledge, frequency of condom use and number of sexual partners.

CONCLUSIONS: Although knowledge was associated with levels of risk perception, it was not found in this sample a correlation between knowledge and risk behavior. However, perception of risk was strongly with risk behaviors, suggesting that preventive efforts should be directed to change one's own risk perception.

Keywords: AEGIS, Risk-Taking, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Condoms, Sexual Partners, Substance-Related Disorders, Questionnaires, Male, Human, ICA11KWDaegis,risk-taking,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,knowledge,attitudes,practice,condoms,sexualpartners,substance-relateddisorders,questionnaires,male,human,ica11

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PubC1124

Copyright © 1996 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.