ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE POPULATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN ON ISSUES OF HIV AND COMMITMENT TO VARIOUS PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR

The aim of the study is to assess the degree of awareness of different population groups of the Republic of Tatarstan, of commitment to safe behaviors in conjunction with the assessment of their own risk of HIV infection. Methods. An anonymous survey of the working and student population (577 respondents) was conducted. The survey results were processed using Microsoft office Excel 2010 and OpenEpi online calculators (http://www.openepi.com). Results. Only 84 respondents (14.6 ± 1.5 %) recognize the seriousness of the HIV problem in the region. A significant proportion of respondents (43.8 ± 2.1 %) have «discriminating» thoughts. At the same time, persons older than 30 years statistically significantly more often expressed a desire to stop communicating with a friend in the case of infection than respondents younger than 30 years (55,0 ± 3,5 and 35,9 ± 2,7 % respectively, x2 = 17,7; p < 0,001). Only half of the respondents believe that a condom is 100 % effective in the case of correct use and maintaining the integrity of the condom. The proportion of people who only have safe sex is statistically significantly higher among people under 30 years than among people over 30 years (36.0 ± 3.2 and 10.7 ± 2.2 % respectively, x2 = 35.12; p < 0.001). Conclusions. The population's underestimation of the urgency of the problem, underestimation of its own risk of HIV infection, lack of awareness of prevention and low adherence to safe behavior were identified. Continued efforts to provide reliable information to the population on ways to transmit and prevent HIV infection, with increased coverage of persons over 30 years, are required with the aim of increasing the alertness of the population and adherence to safe behaviors, and the prevention of discrimination against people living with HIV.

HIV infection, prevention, awareness, risk assessment