Clients of a HIV-service NPO: structure, typology, behavioral features

Abstract

Every year the number of registered HIV-infected people is increasing, which by the end of 2021 made 851.8 thousand people. In this connection the organization of work on prevention and treatment of HIV infection is relevant. The survey of 6313 representatives of the key group, i.e. clients of HIV servicing NPOs — Russians (4793 people) and citizens of other countries (1520 people) identified the main risk groups, for which it is necessary to work out the principal activity strategies connected with treatment and prevention. Every tenth client of the Charitable Foundation is HIV-infected and hepatitis C positive, every fourth has had or is having sexually transmitted infection (STI), and 4.6% of men and 1.4% of women have syphilis. The group is characterized by risky behavior in terms of HIV infection, STIs (and other dangerous diseases), including: drug use (17.8% of men — injecting and/or 46.1% of women — non-injecting), prostitution (13.6% of men and 15.4% of women), consume sex services (16.6% of men and 5.0% of women). Based on analytical and mathematical methods, eight basic conditional groups of patients of the Foundation were identified that will allow us to develop work strategies depending on a number of basic socio-demographic characteristics (age, sexual orientation), attainability of clients, morbidity, risk behavior and attitudes regarding morbidity, treatment and prevention. In particular, the most difficult groups of clients to work with at the Foundation have been identified: legal and illegal migrants and men involved in prostitution. What all of these groups have in common is that they depend on their employer and their priority is to keep their jobs, for the sake of which they are willing to sacrifice their health and lead deviant lifestyles.