Análise de indicadores de comportamento de risco entre usuários de drogas injetáveis do Projeto AjUDE-Brasil I

Abstract

This study analyzes the sexual and drug use behavior among the injecting drug users, assessing the risk associated with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections, and the HIV/HCV coinfection. The objectives were: to obtain a social and demographic profile and to characterize the behavior of this population, beyond the confrontation between this profile and the viral infections boarded. A cross-sectional design, based on the data gathered through questionnaires and serology of 287 injecting drug users outreached by the harm reduction workers and enlisted by the Project AjUDE Brazil I during the year of 1998, was carried out. It comprised information based on five Brazilian cities. The results obtained suggest a predominance of sexual behavior markers in the association with the risk for the HIV infection, while the habit of injecting drug use had predominated in the association with the risk for the HCV infection. The significant variables using multivariate models were: markers of sexually transmitted diseases in the last six months, story of imprisonment lifetime, syringes and needles sharing lifetime and duration of injectable drugs using. The possibility of doing specific behavior surveillance and the urgency of specific approaches for this population in an integrated intervention grounded by harm reduction programs, are the recommendations of this work.