AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, March 26, 2001
Michael Greer, staff medical writer

Y.A. Amirkhanian and colleagues at the Medical College of Wisconsin described the disturbing results of their study, which they believe to be the "first population-based, random-digit telephone AIDS survey conducted in Russia," in the International Journal of STD & AIDS.

While two-thirds of the respondents reported behavior that put them at risk of HIV infection, less than a quarter took action to reduce their risk, the researchers said.

• Almost eight out of 10 respondents rarely or never used condoms.
  
  
• Only 6% reported regular condom use, less than half the number (13%) who reported having at least three different sexual partners in the last year.
  
  
• Only a third of the people surveyed thought that condoms could provide protection from HIV infection.
  

Significant proportions of respondents believed that HIV could be spread through mosquito bites (56%), kissing (48%), or cigarette sharing (29%), the researchers added ("AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in Russia: Results of a population-based, random-digit telephone survey in St. Petersburg," Int J STD AIDS 2001 Jan;12(1):50-7.

"HIV/AIDS prevention efforts for the general public and ... targeted campaigns directed toward high-risk communities must be quickly undertaken in Russia," Amirkhanian and colleagues concluded.

A search at www.NewsRx.net using the term "AIDS and HIV public health" yielded 125 articles in five specialized reports.

The corresponding author for this report is Y.A. Amirkhanian, Medical College of Wisconsin, Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, 2071 N Summit Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202, USA.

Key points reported in this study include:

• High-risk sexual behavior and misinformation about its consequences are prevalent in Russia
  
  
• Although two-thirds of survey respondents reported risky behavior, less than a quarter tried to reduce their risk of infection
  
  
• A third of Russians believed that condoms were ineffective, and only 6% reported regular use
  
  
• By contrast, 13% reported having three or more sexual partners in the last year
  

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

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