Study on characteristics of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS awareness among IDUs recruited from community-based methadone maintenance treatment programs

  Objective   To explore the characteristics of drug abuse and the needs of intravenous drug users(IDUs)and to explore the Chinese community's awareness about HIV/AIDS.

  Methods   IDUs were screened and 55 heroin addicts were recruited for the methadone maintenance treatment trial.Those recruited were interviewed in-depth and asked to complete a survey in the from of a questionaire.

  Results   The main reason IDU.s first used drugs were 69.1% satisfaction of curiosity and 21.8% peer pressure.41.8% of the participants had never experienced syringe sharing.96.4% of the participants had already had sexual intercourse.Of those who had already had sexual intercourse, 15.1% had visited prostitutes in the past 6 months and some had never used condoms.100% of the participants evidenced a strong desire to abstain from drug and to return to being active members of their family and society.Participant's HIV/AIDS knowledge levels were relatively low.

  Conclusion   Community-based MMT trials must be integrated with prophy lactic prevention of drug abuse and relapse, as well as HIV/AIDS education and intervention.All sectors must cooperate more effectively to create a better social environment for durg addicts which will enable them to re-enter the community as stable and productive individuals.