STUDY OF AWARENESS AND BIOBEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS REGARDING HIV INFECTION IN A HIGHLY AFFECTED MUNICIPALITY OF THE CHELYABINSK REGION
DOI: 10.22138/2500-0918-2025-22-2-193-202
M.V. Radzikhovskaya¹, K.V. Paiko²
¹South Ural State Medical University, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation;
²GBUZ «Regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Infectious Diseases», Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation
Abstract. The problem of HIV infection remains one of the most pressing in the field of public health, affecting millions of people around the world. Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, the spread of HIV infection remains high in certain groups of the population. The Chelyabinsk region is one of the regions of the Russian Federation highly affected by HIV infection, with a prevalence rate of 1% as of 01.01.2024. The most affected area of the region is the Verkhneufaleysky urban district, which also faces negative demographic trends, manifested in a decrease in population, a drop in the birth rate and an increase in the proportion of elderly people. In order to determine the most effective tools for preventing HIV infection among the population of the Verkhneufaleisky urban district, a survey of the population aged 18-49 was conducted, including 4 blocks of questions aimed at studying awareness of possible ways of HIV transmission, the level of tolerance of the population to people living with HIV infection, as well as questions devoted to studying possible sources of information, the level of trust in them and biobehavioral characteristics of the population of the Verkhneufaleisky urban district. The study showed that most respondents have some knowledge of HIV infection, but this does not always contribute to their safe behavior in relation to infections. Surveys revealed that residents of the district, in general, do not have a negative attitude towards HIV-infected people, but treat them with caution. Most respondents study information from the Internet, although they have insufficient confidence in its reliability. Individual conversations with health workers cause the greatest trust. The main preventive measure is to increase the availability of HIV testing, including low-threshold testing points with mandatory consultations before and after testing. Effective HIV prevention is critical to reducing the incidence of HIV and improving the quality of life of people living with HIV.
Keywords: HIV infection, prevention, awareness
There is no conflict of interest.
Contact information of the author responsible for correspondence:
Ksenia V. Paiko
kssukssu1@gmail.com
Received 11.04.2025
For citation:
Radzikhovskaya M.V., Paiko K.V. Study of awareness and biobehavioral characteristics regarding HIV-infection in a highly affected municipality of the Chelyabinsk region. [Online] Vestn. Ural. Med. Akad. Nauki. = Journal of Ural Medical Academic Science. 2025, Vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 193–202. DOI: 10.22138/2500-0918-2025-22-2-193-202 (In Russ)
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Аuthors
Margarita V. Radzikhovskaya
FGBOU VO SSMU of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Public Health and Healthcare of the Institute of Continuing Professional Education
rita-rad@mail.ru
ORCID: 0009-0009-4477-8352
Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation
Ksenia V. Paiko
GBUZ Regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Infectious Diseases
Acting Head of the Prevention Department
kssukssu1@gmail.com
ORCID: 0009-0008-4358-0179
Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation