AEGiS-15IAC: Sexual behavior of HIV positive patients attending an urban HIV/AIDS clinic- Joint Clinical Research Center Kampala Uganda.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Sexual behavior of HIV positive patients attending an urban HIV/AIDS clinic- Joint Clinical Research Center Kampala Uganda.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. ThOrD1412)

Bateganya MH, Kityo C, Mugyenyi P, Mayanja H, Serwadda D
Makerere University Institute of Public Health/CDC/Joint Clinical Research Center, Kampala, Uganda

BACKGROUND: More than 80% of the worlds HIV infected patients reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. The infectious pool is enormous and the potential for further transmission of HIV arising from the sexual behavior of those who already know their status cannot be overlooked. We studied the sexual behavior of HIV positive patients attending the Joint Clinical Research Center.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study involving HIV/AIDS patients who had known their status for at least 1 year. Questionnaires were administered to 723 HIV positive individuals between 18 and 65 years old. Data collected included, number and types of sexual partners, condom use with different partners and at the last sexual intercourse respectively in the previous 6 months as well as disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners.

RESULTS: 351 (49%) of the respondents had had sex in the preceding 6 months. 124 (35%) had other sexual partners of whom the majority (86%) had at least 2 sexual partners. The other sexual partners were largely regular (81%), although a few also had casual (15%) or commercial (4%) partners. Use of condoms in every sexual encounter varied with spouse (57%), regular (65%), casual (85%), and commercial partners respectively. Condom use at last sexual intercourse was 32%, 64%, 65%, and 100% with spouse, regular, casual and commercial sexual partners respectively. Sixty seven percent of the respondents disclosed their HIV status to their spouses while only 48% disclosed to their other sexual partners. Majority (93.7%) of the respondents agreed that it was their responsibility to disclose their HIV status to their partners. Conclusion HIV positive individuals who know their HIV status continue to engage in sex with other sexual partners on a regular basis. Though condom use is high with different sexual partners, HIV transmission is likely. Ongoing counseling should be provided to HIV positive individuals to reduce high risk sexual behaviors.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Sexual Behavior, HIV Seropositivity, Sexual Partners, Condoms, Africa South of the Sahara, Safe Sex, Demography, Biomedical Research, Coitus, Disclosure, Retrospective Studies, Cohort Studies, Uganda, Humans

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ThOrD1412