Planning STI/HIV Prevention Among Refugees and Mobile Populations: Situation Assessment of Sudanese Refugees

Abstract

This article reflects an investigation of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours and HIV/STI prevalence of Sudanese refugees and Ethiopian sex workers in 1992. It represents one of the earliest such investigations within an African refugee population. The investigation took place in the Dimma refugee settlement in south-western Ethiopia and study participants included Sudanese refugee men and women and Ethiopian female sex workers. Methods used for this investigation included focus group discussions, behavioural surveys and serologic testing. The main outcome measures of the investigation were HIV/STI knowledge, attitudes and behaviours and biological markers for HIV, syphilis and herpes simplex 2. The study findings indicate that in the early 1990s, knowledge about AIDS and condom use was low among Sudanese refugee women and not one reported having ever used a condom. Furthermore, sexual contact between refugee men and sex workers was frequent during the time of this study and the prevalence of HIV and other STIs was high. The results confirm a widely held assumption that highly mobile and transient populations in Africa are susceptible to STIs and HIV, in large part due to their knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.

HIV Education Needs Among Sudanese Immigrants and Refugees in the Midwestern United States

“…One would expect a population living in the U.S. to have greater access to education on HIV prevention, and therefore greater knowledge, different attitudes and beliefs, and altered sexual behavior from their counterparts in their country of origin. However, the results of this study revealed that knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors toward HIV infection are nearly the same as previous studies doing similar assessments in Sudan (Ali et al, 2001;Holt et al, 2003;Wilson and Mehryar, 1991). Nearly all participants in our study responded that they had heard of HIV.…”

“…To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate any Sudanese population in the U.S. (Ali et al, 2001;Holt et al, 2003;Wilson and Mehryar, 1991). The prior studies conducted in Sudan demonstrated that high sexual risk behavior was more prevalent in refugee populations, with single males emerging as a priority group for prevention interventions (Ali et al, 2001).…”

“…The prior studies conducted in Sudan demonstrated that high sexual risk behavior was more prevalent in refugee populations, with single males emerging as a priority group for prevention interventions (Ali et al, 2001). In the early 1990s, knowledge about AIDS and condom use was low among Sudanese refugee women but sexual contact was frequent and the rates of sexually transmitted infections were high (Holt et al, 2003). A 1991 study of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa demonstrated widespread misconceptions and underestimated personal susceptibility; less than a quarter of Sudanese interviewees perceived themselves at risk for HIV infection (Wilson and Mehryar, 1991).…”

HIV/AIDS health care challenges for cross- country migrants in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

“…There were 27 articles mentioning factors impeding HIV/AIDS health services and risks of HIV/AIDS infection in cross-national migrants 31,34–36,38–60. Some articles specifically reported the situation of migrants in certain regions, ie, Asia,34,35,44–47,51,59,60 America (particularly among Mexican migrants),40,42,43,45,48,53 and Africa 31,38,41,49,52.…”

Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HIV/AIDS of Sudanese and Bantu Somali immigrant women living in Omaha, Nebraska

“…Sudan is North Africa and the Middle East region's worst HIV-affected country [9,13,21,22]. The prevalence of HIV infection in Sudan was estimated at 1.6% in 2005, representing nearly 80% of HIV cases in the region [12,22].…”