[HIV infection risk perception and stigmatizing attitude: Results of surveys of dwellers from the Central Administrative District of Moscow].

AIM: To study human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection risk perception and stigmatizing attitudes in the dwellers of the Central Administrative District of Moscow. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An anonymous survey was conducted using specially developed questionnaires. A total of 893 people were interviewed. Each of the given indicators was used to ask 98 to 254 respondents. Among the survey participants, there were 92 healthcare workers, including 66 physicians and 26 representatives of middle-level and junior medical staff. According to their replies, the respondents were divided into 2 groups: 1) healthcare workers; 2) representatives of the so-called general population. RESULTS: 91.3% of the healthcare workers gave a negative reply to the question: "Should contacts (intercourse) with people living with HIV (AIDS) be avoided to escape infection?". In Group 2, 58.8 and 23.5% of the respondents answered negatively and positively, respectively; and 17.6% had difficulty answering the question. In the general population group, 44.10% of the respondents answered negatively and 32.2% had difficulty answering the question: "Would you agree to live in the same room with anybody whom you know or suspect to be HIV positive?"; 23.8% agreed to do this. Among the healthcare workers, there were 46.7% of the respondents who answered positively. When the question: "Would you agree to send your child (grandson) to the kindergarten if you would learn that a HIV-infected child goes there?" was asked, 48.6 and 18.7% of the respondents in the general population group answered negatively and positively, respectively; 32.7% had difficulty answering. In the group of healthcare workers, 66.7% answered positively. Among both the healthcare workers and the representatives of the general population, more than 60% of the respondents agreed with the statement that "HIV-infected people lead a loose life". CONCLUSION: The specific features of perceiving a HIV infection risk and showing stigmatizing attitudes towards HIV-infected patients make the forming less dangerous behaviors difficult and restrict an access to care and support in infected patients. The training of healthcare workers in issues related to HIV infection should involve the identification of stigmatizing attitudes and the application of destigmatization strategies.

[Awareness of the issues of HIV infection in the dwellers of the Central Administrative District of Moscow].

AIM: To study the awareness of HIV infection in the dwellers of the Central Administrative District of Moscow. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A continuous cross-sectional survey was made in all the citizens who applied to the V.A. Gilyarovsky Mental Hospital Three, Branch Four, for information on the day of the survey and gave their consent to participate in this survey that was performed in 4 steps; a total of 414 persons were questioned. Their knowledge and ideas were anonymously assessed using a specially developed questionnaire. After analyzing their replies, the respondents were divided into 3 groups: 1) representatives of the so-called general population; 2) draft-age youngsters; 3) health care workers. RESULTS: The draftees (34%) gave the largest number of wrong answers to the question whether human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) could be transmitted through mosquito bites (p=0.0001). Among the healthcare workers, 81% of the respondents indicated that HIV could not be transmitted through mosquito bites; the proportion of right answers among the general population was 64.3%. The statement that a condom reliably protects against HIV infection was considered to be true by 52.4% of the health care workers, 56% of the draftees, and 62.2% of the representatives of the general population. The HIV/AIDS topic was not relevant for 43.4% of the general population and 58.3% of the health care workers; 98.7% of the respondents of the general population pointed that blood should be sampled for testing for HIV antibodies to find out whether a person had HIV (AIDS); this answer was chosen by 87.5% of the surveyed health care workers. CONCLUSION: Low knowledge about HIV infection particularly among the draft-age youngsters is evidence for the insufficient efficiency of performed preventive measures among both the general population and the organized young people. Attention is drawn to the opinion of the respondent health care workers as to the reliability of using the condom to prevent HIV transmission. The findings will be kept in mind when elaborating the teaching programs.

Psychosocial care for HIV-infected individuals in Russia.

The relatively small number of people known to be infected with HIV in Russia together with the absence of large numbers of affected people does not help to increase awareness of HIV infection as a social problem. This results in almost non-existent organized care systems for psychosocial support. Characteristics of psychosocial stress in HIV-infected individuals in Russia were studied over 3 years and ways to overcome it were examined. One-hundred-and-eighty-nine patients (120 men and 69 women) were studied. Our patients found support in attending health workers and from one another. Some characteristic features of the lifestyle of HIV-infected people in Russia are described. These include a search for non-traditional treatment methods; creating families (nine couples) or support networks between the infected; participating in public meetings in order to support those infected and pursue educational work, and meetings on for religious reasons. Social support may decrease the stress experienced by these people.