AEGiS-14IAC: HIV prevalence in female crack cocaine users in Salvador, Bahia - Brazil.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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HIV prevalence in female crack cocaine users in Salvador, Bahia - Brazil.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. C10741)

Nunes CL, Andrade TM, Carvalho AG, Reingold A
Bahia Federal University, Salvador, Brazil

BACKGROUND: The use of crack cocaine has been associated with sexual behavior that are risks factors related to for STD's, including HIV. We studied caracteristics of 95 female crack cocaine users recruited in poor communities of the city of Salvador, Bahia. The objective was to evaluate the risk factors for and prevalence of HIV infection among female crack users. METHODSA cross-sectional behavioral and serum-prevalence was performed.

RESULTS: The mean age was 21.8 (range 13 to 46). 87% had not completed primary school. The reported monthly income was less than $75.00 in 84%. 75% of the women had at least one child (range 1 to 4). The mean age of initiating sexual activity was 14 years (range 9 to 18). The number of lifetime sexual partners was reported to be between 1 and "uncountable". 50% of the women reported carrying condoms. 57% of the women reported that their current sexual partner was a drug-user. 9% of the women reported that in addition to using crack cocaine, they also injected or snorted the drug. HIV infection was present in 3 (3%) and HCV was present in 6(12%) of the women tested for theses viruses; 5(5%) were infected with HTLV, and 4(4%) had a reactive VDRL test for syfilis.

CONCLUSION: The sample of women was caracterized by young age, low income and minimal education. The most commonly reported HIV sexual risk behavior were young age at a first intercourse, multiple sexual partners, failure to use condoms and having a drug-using sexual partner. The observed prevalence of HIV infeccion was higher than that among the general population, but lower than that reported in some studies of drug-users elsewhere. The low prevalence of HIV infection among these women may have been due, in part, to the risk reduction activities extant in the communities where these women live. Maintaining this low prevalence of HIV infection among these high risk women will require continued prevention efforts.

Keywords: AEGIS, Prevalence, HIV Infections, Cocaine-Related Disorders, Crack Cocaine, HIV Seropositivity, Sex Behavior, Condoms, Risk Factors, Sexual Partners, Substance-Related Disorders, Poverty, Brazil, Human, Female, Child, epidemiologyKWDaegis,prevalence,hivinfections,cocaine-relateddisorders,crackcocaine,hivseropositivity,sexbehavior,condoms,riskfactors,sexualpartners,substance-relateddisorders,poverty,brazil,human,female,child,epidemiology

020707
C10741

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.