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AIDS Knowledge among Arrested Drug Users in Taoyuan during the First Two Years of Implementation of a Harm Reduction Program

桃園地區警方查獲藥癮者之愛滋知識:實施減害計畫的首二年

摘要


Background: In 2004, Taiwan experienced a dramatic increase in number of intravenous drug users (IDUs) in the HIV/AIDS epidemic because IDUs shared syringes, needles, washing water, and diluted liquid. After July 2006, Taiwan implemented a nationwide harm reduction program (HRP). The Public Health Bureau of the Taoyuan county has also started to administer a quiz to arrested drug addicts to assess their knowledge about AIDS prevention. After filling out the quiz, the addicts were given leaflets about AIDS prevention and the HRP in the hope that accurate information about AIDS prevention and the HRP could be shared among drug users and their networks.Aims: This study aimed to investigate AIDS prevention knowledge among drug users arrested by police in Taoyuan during the first two years of implementation of a HRP and to evaluate the effect of giving out the AIDS leaflets.Methods: Mean and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the rate of correct answers by time were calculated to assess their AIDS prevention knowledge. Comparison of AIDS prevention knowledge among repeatedly arrested drug users were also made.Results: Between July 2006 and February 2008, 1,828 arrested drug users filled out the AIDS knowledge quiz, and the mean proportion of correct answers was 52.1% (95% CI=51.4%-52.8%). This proportion of correct answers remained the same over the two-year period. Most respondents (95.0%) answered the questions about pen-washing water and diluted liquid can transmit HIV correctly, and this correct answer rate remained stable throughout the study period. The repeat-arrested drug users (n=153) were found to have worse AIDS knowledge at the second arrest than at the first arrest (P<.0001).Conclusion: The results indicate that during the first two years of the HRP, most respondents already knew that washing water and diluted liquid can transmit HIV, indicating the HRP had successfully promoted safer drug injections. However, for arrested drug users, simply giving out a leaflet about AIDS prevention is insufficient and different education methods is worth trying.

並列摘要


Background: In 2004, Taiwan experienced a dramatic increase in number of intravenous drug users (IDUs) in the HIV/AIDS epidemic because IDUs shared syringes, needles, washing water, and diluted liquid. After July 2006, Taiwan implemented a nationwide harm reduction program (HRP). The Public Health Bureau of the Taoyuan county has also started to administer a quiz to arrested drug addicts to assess their knowledge about AIDS prevention. After filling out the quiz, the addicts were given leaflets about AIDS prevention and the HRP in the hope that accurate information about AIDS prevention and the HRP could be shared among drug users and their networks.Aims: This study aimed to investigate AIDS prevention knowledge among drug users arrested by police in Taoyuan during the first two years of implementation of a HRP and to evaluate the effect of giving out the AIDS leaflets.Methods: Mean and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the rate of correct answers by time were calculated to assess their AIDS prevention knowledge. Comparison of AIDS prevention knowledge among repeatedly arrested drug users were also made.Results: Between July 2006 and February 2008, 1,828 arrested drug users filled out the AIDS knowledge quiz, and the mean proportion of correct answers was 52.1% (95% CI=51.4%-52.8%). This proportion of correct answers remained the same over the two-year period. Most respondents (95.0%) answered the questions about pen-washing water and diluted liquid can transmit HIV correctly, and this correct answer rate remained stable throughout the study period. The repeat-arrested drug users (n=153) were found to have worse AIDS knowledge at the second arrest than at the first arrest (P<.0001).Conclusion: The results indicate that during the first two years of the HRP, most respondents already knew that washing water and diluted liquid can transmit HIV, indicating the HRP had successfully promoted safer drug injections. However, for arrested drug users, simply giving out a leaflet about AIDS prevention is insufficient and different education methods is worth trying.

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