RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 P3.309 Exploration of Migrants’ Knowledge and Attitudes Towards HIV/AIDS Ways of Transmission
JF Sexually Transmitted Infections
JO Sex Transm Infect
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP A245
OP A245
DO 10.1136/sextrans-2013-051184.0763
VO 89
IS Suppl 1
A1 C Botsi
A1 G Nikolopoulos
A1 Ansam Al Mahmoud
A1 N Kanakis
A1 K Kabourakis
A1 G Nikolopoulos
A1 A Al Mahmoud
A1 N Kanakis
A1 K Kabourakis
YR 2013
UL http://sti.bmj.com/content/89/Suppl_1/A245.1.abstract
AB Background The incidence of HIV/AIDS in Greece along of the migrants’ influx, challenges policy makers and NGOs working in the field to plan prevention efforts in mobile populations. Methods A total of 149 participants (81.21% men and 18.79% women) with mean age 29.0 ± 7.66 years old, have completed an anonymous and self report questionnaire in order to explore migrants’ knowledge and their attitude towards HIV/AIDS transmission. Migrants have been recruited in the MDM offices and cultural mediators were used in order to complete the questionnaire. An informed consent was obtained. Results More than half of the participants (72.99%) believed that having sex with a permanent sexual partner who has no other sexual contacts, protects against HIV transmission, while 49.30% thought that mosquitoes bites can transmit HIV infection, whereas 74.29% considered the use of condoms in each sexual contact, protective against HIV. Surprisingly 40.14% answered sharing meals with HIV positive persons could transmit HIV. The majority (84.35%) answered that they did not know where to have an HIV diagnostic test. Only 24.49% have performed HIV testing once in their life. More men (79.13%) than women (52%) believed in the use of condoms in every contact. A great proportion of men (41.38%) stressed that HIV could be transmitted by sharing meals while men (55.65%) and women (58.33%) agreed that HIV infected persons may appear perfectly healthy. The majority of the respondents never got the HIV test (75.51%). Conclusions There is a need to develop skill based education programmes to elucidate misconceptions on HIV transmission and to promote behavioural surveillance systems to evaluate the progression of these programmes targeting migrants in Greece