How understanding and application of drug-related legal instruments affects harm reduction interventions in Cambodia: a qualitative study

Recent HIV testing and associated factors among people who use drugs in Cambodia: a national cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of HIV testing and examine factors associated with recent HIV testing among people who use drugs (PWUD) in Cambodia.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Twelve major provinces with a high burden of HIV and drug use in Cambodia.

PARTICIPANTS

This study included 1677 PWUD recruited using a peer-based social network recruitment method. Participants' selection criteria included being at least 18 years old and using any illicit drugs via any administration routes in the past 12 months.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE

Recent HIV testing, defined as having an HIV test in the past 6 months.

RESULTS

The median age of the participants was 28 (IQR 22-34) years, and 56.6% were men. The prevalence of lifetime and recent HIV testing was 70.7% and 42.9%, respectively. After adjustment in multivariable logistic regression analysis, recent HIV testing remained positively associated with being female (adjusted OR (AOR) 1.55, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.04) or third gender identity (AOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.11 to 3.80), having ever been to a drug rehabilitation centre (AOR 1.60, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.29), having used any HIV services in the past 6 months (AOR 7.37, 95% CI 5.61 to 9.69), having received HIV education in the past 3 months (AOR 3.40, 95% CI 2.63 to 4.40) and having self-perception of higher HIV risk (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.73).

CONCLUSIONS

Recent HIV test uptake among PWUD in Cambodia was suboptimal. This study highlights the roles of outreach HIV education and services in promoting regular HIV testing among PWUD. Strengthening the coordinated effort of government agencies and local civil society organisations to prioritise expanding community-based peer-driven interventions to reach out to this hidden population is warranted.

EVALUATION OF HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES IN THE PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE NETWORK

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate harm reduction strategies in the Psychosocial Care Network of a small city in the southern region of Brazil. Method: qualitative study, using the methodological assumptions of the Empowerment Evaluation. The research was carried out in the Psychosocial Care Network of a small city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from March to December 2017. Forty-two managers and workers of the psychosocial care network services and the intersectoral network for drug users participated in the study. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Results: the mission of the network under study involved a work proposal aimed at harm reduction. In the knowledge of the current situation, the integrated action of the harm reduction team to the other services in the network was identified and the need for greater understanding of the specifics of this work. Concerning the perspectives for the future of the network, efforts were made to strengthen harm reduction strategies that redeem the potential of individuals and investments in human and structural resources in damage reduction teams. Conclusion: the study presents support for the construction of harm reduction proposals integrated into the psychosocial care network, which can guide the prioritization of investments and improvements in the decision making of network managers and workers.

Prevalence and correlates of HIV infection among people who use drugs in Cambodia: a cross-sectional survey using respondent driven sampling method

Background

Most of studies on the relationship between drug use and HIV have focused largely on people who inject drugs. Non-injecting drug use is much more common than injecting drug use, and although it can also predispose people to HIV infection, it is not widely explored. We therefore conducted this study to explore the prevalence of HIV and identify risk factors for HIV infection among people who use non-injecting drugs (PWUD) in Cambodia.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017. The Respondent Driven Sampling method was used to recruit the study participants who were interviewed face-to-face using a structured questionnaire. Blood samples were collected for HIV and syphilis testing. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors associated with HIV infection.

Results

In total, 1367 PWUD were included in this study, whose mean age was 28.0 (SD = 7.7) years. The majority (95.1%) of the participants used methamphetamine. The prevalence of HIV was 5.7, and 35.2% of the identified HIV-positive PWUD were not aware of their status prior to the survey. After adjustment for other covariates, HIV infection remained significantly associated with being in the age group of ≥35 (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.04–6.11), having lower level of formal education of ≤ 6 years (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.04–5.15), living on the streets (AOR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.10–7.23), perception that their HIV risk was higher as compared to that of the general population (AOR = 3.18, 95% CI = 1.27–8.62), having used injecting drugs in lifetime (AOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.36–4.56), and having cuts or sores around the genital area in the past 12 months (AOR = 3.42, 95% CI = 1.09–6.33).

Conclusions

The prevalence of HIV among PWUD in this study was more than 10 times higher than the prevalence in the general adult population. The findings reveal a higher vulnerability to HIV infection among specific sub-populations of PWUD, such as those who are homeless, who may benefit from tailored interventions that respond to their specific needs. To enhance HIV case finding, stratification of PWUD to facilitate HIV risk profiling based on socio-economic profiles and drug injection history is recommended.