Cent Eur J Public Health 2019, 27(1):50-53 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4831

HIV testing among people who inject drugs in Ivanovo and Novosibirsk, Russia

Elizabeth J. King^1,2, Linda M. Niccolai², Ksenia U. Eritsyan³, Robert Heimer², Olga S. Levina³

¹ Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

² Yale School of Public Health and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

³ NGO Stellit, St. Petersburg, Russia

Objective: HIV testing among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Russia has been documented to be low; however, few studies have been conducted outside of the major metropolitan cities. The aim of this study was to determine how many PWID were aware of their HIV serostatus and what motivators were associated with getting tested for HIV.

Methods: Our analysis describes HIV testing behaviours among 593 PWID in Ivanovo and Novosibirsk, Russia. Participants completed a questionnaire and consented to HIV testing. We used logistic regression modelling to determine demographic and behavioural correlates of HIV testing.

Results: Self-reported history of HIV testing was 52% in Ivanovo and 54% in Novosibirsk. Prior knowledge of serostatus was very low among PWID who tested positive (3 of 102 in Ivanovo and 0 of 11 in Novosibirsk). The most common reason for testing was doctor referral, and the most common locations were government HIV/AIDS centres and prisons. HIV testing was rarely client initiated or led by a personal motivation for being tested.

Conclusions: HIV testing in Ivanovo and Novosibirsk is suboptimal, resulting in poor knowledge of HIV serostatus. More programmes to promote HIV testing among PWID are urgently needed in both cities.

Keywords: Russia, Novosibirsk, Ivanovo, people who inject drugs, HIV testing, HIV serostatus, knowledge

Received: May 10, 2016; Revised: January 9, 2019; Published: March 30, 2019  Show citation