Bridging the Gap: Conference Record [Abstract book, International Conference on AIDS (12th: 1998: Geneva, Switzerland)]

206 Abstracts 14119-14123

12th World AIDS Conference

gramme to monitor high risk sexual behaviour amongst homosexual and bisexual
men socialising and/or using services in London.
Method: A brief self-completed questionnaire was distributed in a variety of
commercial venues (bars, clubs and saunas) and Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM)
clinics within London. The main outcome measures were self-reported sexual behaviour including unprotected anal intercourse, HIV status of unprotected anal
intercourse partners and uptake of HIV testing. The survey was conducted during
a similar period (i.e. November to January) in both 1996 and 1997.
Results: In 1996 2,482 questionnaires were returned (response rate 75%) from
72 venues and in 1997 2,121 questionnaires were returned (response rate 81%)
from 63 venues. Homosexual men surveyed in 1997 were more likely to have had
unprotected anal intercourse in the previous year (38% v 35%, P < 0.03) than
those recruited in 1996. However, men recruited in 1997 were more likely to have
unprotected anal intercourse with partners of the same HIV status as themselves
(15% v 20%, p < 0.001). Nearly a third of men questioned in 1997 had had an
HIV test in the past year (31%) which was similar to the previous survey (29%).
This project has demonstrated that it is possible to establish an active behavioural surveillance amongst homosexual men in London. There appear to
have been changes in high risk sexual behaviour amongst homosexual men
recruited in either the 1996 or 1997 surveys. The continuing high levels of sexual risk behaviour demonstrates the need for sustained and innovative health
promotion campaigns amongst homosexual men in London.
S14119 1 Unconventional medicine and AIDS: Trends in behaviour
among patients receiving protease inhibitors
Bruno Malafronte', I. Perbost2, B. Dunais3, V. Rahelinirina2, O. Keita-Perse3,
J. Durant2, P. Dellamonica2. 1Chu de Nice, Hopital del'Archet 1 RTE St A.
Ginestiere, BP 3079-06202 NICE CX3; 2Service Maladies Infectieuses, Chi
Nice, Nice; 3Cisih, Chi Nice, Nice, France
Objective: To study trends in resorting to unconventional medicine among HIVinfected patients treated with protease inhibitors.
Methods an Population: A self-administered questionnaire was submitted to
HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral treatment associated with protease
inhibitors who attended the Infectious Diseases Department in Nice University
Hospital as outpatients between October and December 1997. Questions focused
on use of unconventional medicine, trust in protease inhibitors and compliance
with prescribed conventional therapy.
Results: Among 99 questionnaires, 71% were completed by male patients. Distribution of mode of transmission was as follows: IV drug use 36%, homosexuality
37%, heterosexuality 22%, blood transfusion 5%. Thirty five of these patients had
previously resorted to unconventional treatment, which was continued by 26 and
discontinued by 9 patients after being prescribed a protease inhibitor. Difficulties
with compliance concerned 54% of patients surveyed. A significant correlation
was observed between use of unconventional therapy and poor compliance with
the prescribed conventional treatment (P = 0.01).
Conclusion: Compliance is a major problem in HIV-infected patient follow-up.
It is therefore important to focus on patients resorting to unconventional medicine
since they appear to be less compliant. An ongoing study is under way to
understand the reasons for this.
14120 Evaluation of knowledge, attitude and behavior related to
HIV among students, professors and staff at the Fed.
University of M. Gerais, Brazil
Mauro Lucio Jeronymo1, R.A. Gontijo2, D.B. Greco2. Federal University of Minas
Gerais; Av. Alfredo Balena 190 Belo Horizonte, Brazil-Minas Gerais CEP:
30130-100, Brazil
Problem: To evaluate in a large Brazilian public university the knowledge, attitude
and behavior related to HIV in a sample of its 20,000+ undergraduate students,
4,000 graduate, 2,600 professors and 4,500 staff.
Project: In order to gather data to establish a preventive program for HIV at the
Federal University of Minas Gerais, the Coordination for Community Affairs and
the Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Service of the University prepared specific
questionnaires to evaluate the community. After pre-testing, these questionnaires
were applied (anonymously and in a non pressing setting) to 5,308 individuals,
including 2,719 freshman (at entry in 1996), 1,516 students from various stages,
174 professors and 899 technical support staff.
Results: Analysis of the data showed that: a) this population presents with
a good level of information related to how HIV is transmitted; b) Despite the
level of information the practice of unprotected sex is high; c) There are strong
indicators of prejudice directed to individuals infected by HIV/AIDS; d) The feeling
that marriage protects against HIV infection is clearly present among the women;
e) Among the students there is no statistical differences between freshman and
students with more years at the university; f) There are no significant differences
among the diverse brackets of the university population here evaluated; g) The
report of IV drug use was extremely low.
Conclusions: Comparing the data here obtained with other information from

different segments of our population, it can be concluded that the fact of being
in an university do not modify the attitudes and behavior related to HIV/AIDS.
With the low reported use of IV drug the probable main risk for contamination is
sexual activity and it is worrisome to find that among women there is a feeling
of protection from infection if married. These results show also the need for an
intensive education program to be implemented throughout the university.

I14121 Sex, AIDS and Israeli youth
Inon Schenker, C. Greenblatt, P. Tamir. Hebrew University Hadassah School of
Jerusalem, PO B 7956, Jerusalem, Israel
Objective: Israel is considered a country with surprisingly very low HIV/AIDS
incidence and prevalence rates for a developed country, with high influx and out
flux of tourism, foreign workers, prostitution drug trafficking and other risk factors.
This study is aimed at providing evidence to the sexual, drug abuse and other
risky behavior of secular Israeli youth between 15-18 years old.
Method: 1063 adolescents between the ages of 15-17, filled-in an anonymous
questionnaire, with detailed questions on their sources of information regarding
HIV/AIDS, sex, drugs and contraceptives; alcohol and cigarette consumption;
sexual behavior and use of drugs. Other questions were on the adolescents'
levels of AIDS knowledge, attitudes towards people with HIV/AIDS, towards their
own risk of contracting HIV, the HIV-test and their views about the sexual behavior of their peers and AIDS education at school. The 138 items, validated,
friendly-user, structured questionnaire, was very well received by the adolescents
randomly selected.
Results: Alcohol consumption: non (38.3%), occasionally (41.2%) 1-2 a month
(18.5%) 2-4 a week (1.3%). Drugs: Marijuana - never (96.5%), occasionally
(1.9%) 2-4 a week (0.4%). Heroin - never (99.1%), occasionally (0.8%) 2-4 a
week (0.1%).
Cigarette consumption Penetrative intercourse Do you want
(%) (%) HIV test
0 <10 >20 0 1 few often no yes don't know
Boys 75.8 12.8 11.4 65.5 10.1 13.8 10.7 28.7 45.9 25.4
Girls 81.0 11.3 7.7 90.8 1.6 4.5 3.1 23.8 52.9 22.9
The major source of information on HIV/AID in the sample was TV (48.7%),
Newspapers (32.4%) School classes (11.4%) Parents (4.5%) Medical/Scientific
professionals (3.0%).
Conclusions: Israeli secular youth, between ages 15-17, is practicing very
unrisky behaviors for HIV infection: they don't (generally) have sex, they don't use
drugs and they consume very little amounts of alcohol. While the major source
of information on HIV/AIDS is TV, school classes are an important source for
11.4% of the sample. This data can partially explain the very low incidence and
prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Israel.
S14122 | Improving methods to assess the co-occurrence of
sexual behavior and substance use
Kate B. Carey12, M.P. Carey2, L.S. Weinhardt2, S.M. Maisto2, C.M. Gordon2.
14671 Bloomsbury Drive Syracuse NY 13215; 2Syracuse University Syracuse
NY, USA
Objectives: To adapt the Timeline Followback (TLFB) interview to facilitate the
assessment of the co-occurrence of HIV-related sexual behavior and substance
use, and to conduct psychometric analyses of its reliability.
Design: Psychometric research.
Methods: Our research involves four phases. In Phase I, we adapted the TLFB
interview to assess sexual behavior as well as alcohol and drug use; pilot testing
revealed that the TLFB methodology was well-accepted by interviewees. In Phase
II, we evaluated the stability of the sexual behavior data from the TLFB with 58
sexually active adults. One week test-retest intraclass correlations showed that all
sexual behaviors were reported reliably (median =.96). In Phase III, we evaluated
the 1-week stability of the substance use items with 79 adults with substance use
problems and severe mental illness. Significant correlations were found for drinking frequency for 30-day (r =.86) and 180-day (r =.62) TLFBs, and maximum daily
quantity for both assessment intervals (rs =.88 and.92). Thirty-day frequency
data obtained with the TLFB and the Addiction Severity Index were significantly
correlated (r =.65). In Phase IV, we assessed the inter-rater reliability for both
the sexual behavior and substance use items; two independent raters coded 25
protocols, and obtained highly significant intra-class correlations (median =.99)
across 54 items. We will present additional psychometric data, and overview the
procedures we use to elicit and code event-level data on the TLFB.
Conclusion: The Timeline Followback interview provides reliable reports of
sexual behavior and substance use over several intervals, and yields event-level
data that are extremely valuable for HIV-prevention research.
|14123 Research on sex and sexuality and high risk behaviour
patterns in Hosur, Tirupur and Thiruchengode, Tamil
Nadu, India
Lalitha Kumaranangalam, Vijaya Srinivasan, R. Lakshmi Bai, S. Velan,
V.N. Sabapathy. VHS-APAC, Chennai TN,, India
Issue: 10 years after the first AIDS case was diagnosied in India, reports indicate
that more Indians are falling prey to the disease. A starting point for any intervention should be to collect as much information as possible on which to base such

programs.
Project: Thus a research was conducted in 3 semi-urban townships of Tamil
Nadu, South India, to enable design of interventions, that would be wholistic and
effective. These places form the industralized heartland of Tamil Nadu, with vast
movement of truckers, substantial migrant population, organised sex industry, low
condom usage making them vulnerable to HIV. 1080 people i.e. 600 truckers,
180 CSWs and 300 industrial workers were interviewed, and FGDs conducted